Sacha Baron Cohen says Trump needs to be banned from YouTube permanently to ‘prevent more violence’

Sacha Baron Cohen has said that outgoing US president Donald Trump should be banned from YouTube.

Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives for the second time for his role in inciting the violent riots that took place on Capitol Hill on 6 January.

As the riots were ongoing, Trump’s accounts were suspended from social media including Twitter and Facebook, amid concerns that his posts were promoting further violence and spreading disinformation.

The president has relied on social media, especially Twitter, as the primary means of communicating with his supporters since before his election, and Twitter faced calls to suspend his account long before a ban was eventually issued.

Earlier this week, Borat star Baron Cohen posted on Twitter about an increase in Trump’s YouTube subscribers, calling his channel “the new Trump TV” and demanding that he be banned.

“Trump's YouTube Channel has GAINED 30,000 subscribers this week,” he wrote. “Other companies are cutting ties with Trump. YouTube is profiting... stop profiting off lies and violence!”

YouTube subsequently suspended Trump’s account, though only on a temporary basis.

Baron Cohen responded to the news, suggesting that the website’s “three strikes” policy means Trump is likely to return in a week.

“YouTube suspends Trump,” he wrote, “but only for 1 week. With YouTube's ‘3 strikes’ rule, Trump gets to incite violence 2 MORE TIMES before it bans him!

“Are you kidding?! RT to tell @YouTube, @SusanWojcicki, Prevent more violence, ban Trump PERMANENTLY.”

His tweet has currently amassed more than 7,000 retweets and 20,000 likes.