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Twitter Inc. Chief Executive Jack Dorsey sat down with President Donald Trump on Tuesday to talk about the “health” of social media in the run-up to the 2020 U.S. elections, just a day after the president criticized Twitter for bias.
According to Motherboard, which had obtained an internal Twitter email about the talk, the discussion would take place behind closed doors and last 30 minutes. Vijaya Gadde, Twitter’s global lead for legal, policy, and trust and safety, wrote that the topic of the talk would be “the health of the public conversation on Twitter.”
In a second email obtained by Motherboard, Dorsey explained the reasons for his visit. “As you know, I believe that conversation, not silence, bridges gaps and drives towards solutions,” he wrote. “I have met with every world leader who has extended an invitation to me, and I believe the discussions have been productive, and the outcomes meaningful.”
As for what actually happened during the tête-à-tête between the U.S. leader and his favorite social media platform’s boss, Twitter later said in a statement that the chat had been “constructive.” According to that statement, the topic moved from the upcoming elections to the U.S. opioid crisis.
Trump acknowledged the meeting in a tweet. “Lots of subjects discussed regarding their platform, and the world of social media in general,” he wrote. “Look forward to keeping an open dialogue!” In the comment below Dorsey thanked the president for his time and promised to help make conversation on the platform “healthier and more civil.”
Trump has been very critical of Twitter in the past, accusing the company of bias and removing people from his account. “Something’s happening with those groups of folks that are running Facebook and Google and Twitter and I do think we need to get to the bottom of it,” he said in March.
Strangely, just a day before the two met, Trump didn’t exactly extol the merits of Twitter. In a tweet that day, he wrote, “they don’t treat me well as a Republican. Very discriminatory.”
Twitter responded soon after in a statement: “We enforce the Twitter rules dispassionately and equally for all users, regardless of their background or political affiliation,” the company said. “We are constantly working to improve our systems and will continue to be transparent in our efforts.”
It seems after the meeting, the dust has settled somewhat and the Twitter/Trump relationship is harmonious again, at least for the next few minutes.
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