Former President Trump is reportedly planning to sue the CEOs of Twitter and Facebook after the platforms took action to suspend and ban his accounts over posts he made in response to the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.
The former president plans to announce a class-action lawsuit on Wednesday against Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Axios reported Wednesday, citing unnamed sources.
Trump is scheduled on Wednesday to make an announcement about “efforts to protect Americans’ First Amendment rights” at 11 a.m.
A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Twitter permanently banned Trump’s account, while Facebook has suspended the account but left open the possibility of restoring it in 2023 if it’s no longer deemed a “risk to public safety.”
Without access to his accounts, the former president has had a more limited public platform.
In May, Trump launched a website to share blog posts to communicate with his supporters, but the blog was short-lived, shutting down less than a month after it launched.
Trump’s legal effort against the tech CEOs will be supported by the America First Policy Institute, a nonprofit that is focused on promoting the former president’s policies, Axios reported.
Trump’s lawsuit would be the latest GOP effort to limit tech companies from being able to enforce their policies against politicians.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill into law that would have fined companies for kicking politicians off their platforms, but a federal judge last month blocked the law from going into effect.
Tech industry groups sued DeSantis over the law, arguing it violates the First Amendment and freedom of speech.
A similar bill in Texas passed the state Senate, but has not made it through the state House.
Updated at 10:15 a.m.