Donald Trump plans to file class-action lawsuits against Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter's Jack Dorsey.
News of the legal filing comes after both of the social media giants blocked his profile on their respective platforms in the wake of the US Capitol attack on January 6. Trump, at the time, was accused by many of inciting the deadly insurrection.
Twitter banned Trump indefinitely and Facebook said the ex-POTUS would remain suspended until at least January 2023.
Now, sources have informed Axios that the former president plans to announce the lawsuits at a press conference on July 7.
Per the outlet, the filings will center on the alleged bias the platforms have against the Republican's supporters.
Trump is reportedly seeking a restoration of his accounts on the platforms as well as punitive damages on the companies responsible for suspending his accounts.
Last month, Facebook's Vice President of Global Affairs and former Deputy Prime Minister of the UK Nick Clegg confirmed that Trump's ban will last until January 7, 2023.
Clegg said, per The Independent:
"Given the gravity of the circumstances that led to Mr Trump’s suspension, we believe his actions constituted a severe violation of our rules which merit the highest penalty available under the new enforcement protocols.
"We are suspending his accounts for two years, effective from the date of the initial suspension on 7 January this year."
At the time of Trump's suspension from Twitter, a spokesperson wrote in a statement:
"After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them — specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter — we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.
"In the context of horrific events this week, we made it clear on Wednesday that additional violations of the Twitter Rules would potentially result in this very course of action.
"Our public interest framework exists to enable the public to hear from elected officials and world leaders directly. It is built on a principle that the people have a right to hold power to account in the open."
Trump has repeatedly condemned the suspension of his accounts. Last week, he even alleged that Zuckerberg funded unsecured drop boxes in the 2020 election - as the 75-year-old claimed yet again that he was the rightful winner of the 2020 US presidential election.
