Former President Trump announces class action suit against social media companies

Former President Trump on Wednesday announced a class action suit against social media sites including Google, Facebook and Twitter over censorship concerns.

"While social media companies are officially private entities, in recent years they have ceased to be private," Trump said from his summer retreat in Bedminster, New Jersey. "Social media is the default censorship arm of the U.S. government." 

The suit names specifically names Facebook and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google and CEO Sundar Pichai, and Twitter and  CEO Jack Dorsey for allegedly violating First Amendment rights.

Trump in a roughly 30-minute speech cited several examples of what he considered censorship including social media sites flagging or removing content questioning whether the new coronavirus was released at the Wuhan Virology Lab in China.

Trump was essentially banned from every major social media sites after the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, which critics accused him of inciting.

Trump at the event named several people joining the suit, including a teacher who posted about wearing masks in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus. Trump said thousands more will join the suit.

"Our case will prove this censorship unlawful," said Trump, who will lead the suit, filed in conjunction with the America First Policy Institute.

Trump made the announcement at a morning press conference where he was joined by the institute's Linda McMahon and Brooke Rollins.

"We are going to hold Big Tech very accountable," he said.