Donald Trump has caught 500,000 veterans in one of his recent blocking sprees.
The president has taken to blocking his critics on Twitter, apparently in an attempt to stop them from making him look bad. And now VoteVets – a political group campaigning on behalf of veterans – has alllegedly been caught up in that block.
"The Commander in Chief can block @VoteVets, the voice of 500k military veterans and families, but we will NOT be silenced," the group posted on Twitter, alongside an image of the message that shows when an account has been blocked.
Gadgets and tech news in pictures
Gadgets and tech news in pictures
-
1/43
Designed by Pierpaolo Lazzarini from Italian company Jet Capsule. The I.F.O. is fuelled by eight electric engines, which is able to push the flying object to an estimated top speed of about 120mph.
Jet Capsule/Cover Images
-
2/43
A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore
Getty Images
-
3/43
A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore
Getty Images
-
4/43
Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea
Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images
-
5/43
Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea
Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images
-
6/43
The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company
Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images
-
7/43
Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea
Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images
-
8/43
Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi
Rex
-
9/43
Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session
Rex
-
10/43
A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
Reuters
-
11/43
A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
Reuters
-
12/43
A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China
Rex
-
13/43
A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China
Reuters
-
14/43
A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China
Reuters
-
15/43
A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London
Getty
-
16/43
A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv
Getty
-
17/43
Electrification Guru Dr. Wolfgang Ziebart talks about the electric Jaguar I-PACE concept SUV before it was unveiled before the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S
Reuters
-
18/43
The Jaguar I-PACE Concept car is the start of a new era for Jaguar. This is a production preview of the Jaguar I-PACE, which will be revealed next year and on the road in 2018
AP
-
19/43
Japan's On-Art Corp's CEO Kazuya Kanemaru poses with his company's eight metre tall dinosaur-shaped mechanical suit robot 'TRX03' and other robots during a demonstration in Tokyo, Japan
Reuters
-
20/43
Japan's On-Art Corp's eight metre tall dinosaur-shaped mechanical suit robot 'TRX03'
Reuters
-
21/43
Japan's On-Art Corp's eight metre tall dinosaur-shaped mechanical suit robot 'TRX03' performs during its unveiling in Tokyo, Japan
Reuters
-
22/43
Singulato Motors co-founder and CEO Shen Haiyin poses in his company's concept car Tigercar P0 at a workshop in Beijing, China
Reuters
-
23/43
The interior of Singulato Motors' concept car Tigercar P0 at a workshop in Beijing, China
Reuters
-
24/43
Singulato Motors' concept car Tigercar P0
Reuters
-
25/43
A picture shows Singulato Motors' concept car Tigercar P0 at a workshop in Beijing, China
Reuters
-
26/43
Connected company president Shigeki Tomoyama addresses a press briefing as he elaborates on Toyota's "connected strategy" in Tokyo. The Connected company is a part of seven Toyota in-house companies that was created in April 2016
Getty
-
27/43
A Toyota Motors employee demonstrates a smartphone app with the company's pocket plug-in hybrid (PHV) service on the cockpit of the latest Prius hybrid vehicle during Toyota's "connected strategy" press briefing in Tokyo
Getty
-
28/43
An exhibitor charges the battery cells of AnyWalker, an ultra-mobile chasis robot which is able to move in any kind of environment during Singapore International Robo Expo
Getty
-
29/43
A robot with a touch-screen information apps stroll down the pavillon at the Singapore International Robo Expo
Getty
-
30/43
An exhibitor demonstrates the AnyWalker, an ultra-mobile chasis robot which is able to move in any kind of environment during Singapore International Robo Expo
Getty
-
31/43
Robotic fishes swim in a water glass tank displayed at the Korea pavillon during Singapore International Robo Expo
Getty
-
32/43
An employee shows a Samsung Electronics' Gear S3 Classic during Korea Electronics Show 2016 in Seoul, South Korea
Reuters
-
33/43
Visitors experience Samsung Electronics' Gear VR during the Korea Electronics Grand Fair at an exhibition hall in Seoul, South Korea
Getty
-
34/43
Amy Rimmer, Research Engineer at Jaguar Land Rover, demonstrates the car manufacturer's Advanced Highway Assist in a Range Rover, which drives the vehicle, overtakes and can detect vehicles in the blind spot, during the first demonstrations of the UK Autodrive Project at HORIBA MIRA Proving Ground in Nuneaton, Warwickshire
PA wire
-
35/43
Chris Burbridge, Autonomous Driving Software Engineer for Tata Motors European Technical Centre, demonstrates the car manufacturer's GLOSA V2X functionality, which is connected to the traffic lights and shares information with the driver, during the first demonstrations of the UK Autodrive Project at HORIBA MIRA Proving Ground in Nuneaton, Warwickshire
PA wire
-
36/43
Ford EEBL Emergency Electronic Brake Lights is demonstrated during the first demonstrations of the UK Autodrive Project at HORIBA MIRA Proving Ground in Nuneaton, Warwickshire
PA
-
37/43
Full-scale model of 'Kibo' on display at the Space Dome exhibition hall of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Tsukuba Space Center, in Tsukuba, north-east of Tokyo, Japan
EPA
-
38/43
Miniatures on display at the Space Dome exhibition hall of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Tsukuba Space Center, in Tsukuba, north-east of Tokyo, Japan. In its facilities, JAXA develop satellites and analyse their observation data, train astronauts for utilization in the Japanese Experiment Module 'Kibo' of the International Space Station (ISS) and develop launch vehicles
EPA
-
39/43
The robot developed by Seed Solutions sings and dances to the music during the Japan Robot Week 2016 at Tokyo Big Sight. At this biennial event, the participating companies exhibit their latest service robotic technologies and components
Getty
-
40/43
The robot developed by Seed Solutions sings and dances to music during the Japan Robot Week 2016 at Tokyo Big Sight
Getty
-
41/43
Government and industry are working together on a robot-like autopilot system that could eliminate the need for a second human pilot in the cockpit
AP
-
42/43
Aurora Flight Sciences' technicians work on an Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automantion System (ALIAS) device in the firm's Centaur aircraft at Manassas Airport in Manassas, Va.
AP
-
43/43 Flight Simulator
Stefan Schwart and Udo Klingenberg preparing a self-built flight simulator to land at Hong Kong airport, from Rostock, Germany
EPA
The left-leaning group drew support from across the political spectrum, from veterans as well as others. VoteVets focuses on progressive politics but represents hundreds of thousands of veterans who live across the US.
The group has been critical of Mr Trump's policies, including his "Muslim ban". Some of the posts criticising those policies have included Mr Trump's handle, meaning that it may potentially have shown up on his phone – which presumably led to the block.
The group is just the latest in a huge number of people who have been blocked by the president, in what appears to be a new social media strategy. After a range of people took to criticising him on Twitter – including by replying to his posts, so that they showed to everyone who looked at them – he appears to have decided to block them so that they can't see any of his posts or reply to them.
Free speech groups have argued that Mr Trump's new strategy might even contravene the US constitution, which guarantees that everyone have an equal voice. Lawsuits are currently ongoing to decide whether those blocks break the law.
- More about:
- Donald Trump