"That video from Carpe Donktum that President Trump just tweeted is not a real CNN video"
Twitter suspends account of pro-Trump meme-maker
By JESSICA SCHLADEBECK
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS |
JUN 24, 2020 AT 2:36 PM
Twitter has permanently suspended the account of Carpe Donktum, a pro-Trump meme-maker behind the edited “racist toddler” video shared by the president before it was scrubbed from the platform.
A spokesperson for the social media website cited copyright infringement as cause for the punitive measure.
“We respond to valid copyright complaints sent to us by a copyright owner or their authorized representatives. The account was permanently suspended for repeated violations of this policy,” a Twitter spokesman said to Fox News.
Carpe Donktum achieved some level of fame within mostly conservative and right-leaning online communities with his series of edited clips and memes. At the time of his suspension, the account boasted more than 300,000 followers.
The creator’s clips and memes have been shared far and wide across Twitter, including by President Trump.
The Commander-in-Chief most recently sparked backlash by sharing an altered CNN clip, which originally showed two toddlers of different races rushing to embrace each other.
Carpe Donktum’s edited video begins with intense music and shows the same Black toddler running away from a white toddler. It also comes with a breaking news” graphic that reads “Terrified toddler runs away from racist baby.”
The CNN logo also appears in the clip.
In wake of his account suspension, Carpe Donktum confirmed he received a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown order of the video the president tweeted.
“Twitter has not provided me with any avenue to get my account back, so I assume they intend this to be final and permanent,” he wrote.
“I have ALWAYS complied with DMCA takedown rules, and I have submitted counterclaims when necessary, but I have NEVER uploaded content that has been removed.”
Carpe Donktum was quick to win praise and support from his followers, including Donald Trump Jr., who accused Twitter of silencing conservative voices.
“It’s clear @twitter & @jack are engaging in a dedicated campaign to shutdown conservative voices as we get closer to the election,” he wrote.
“Twitter claiming he violated ‘copyright infringement’ on videos that are public domain or clearly parodies covered by fair use is beyond fraudulent.”
Twitter initially labeled Trump’s tweet including the video “manipulated media” label but eventually disabled the video after the parent who shared the clip filed a complaint.
The footage, featuring 2-year-olds Maxwell and Finnegan, was originally posted on Facebook and went viral in 2019.
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