Rogue Twitter staffer pulls down @realDonaldTrump

Washington: A rogue Twitter employee managed to silence Donald Trump’s favorite communications tool for 11 minutes, drawing mocking praise from critics of the US President — but also warnings it could set a dangerous precedent. On Friday, visitors to @realDonaldTrump were greeted with the message “Sorry, that page doesn’t exist!” Twitter initially said the account had been “inadvertently deactivated due to human error” but later indicated it was done intentionally by a departing worker on his or her final day.

Mr Trump did not react on Twitter until nearly 12 hours later. Then he tweeted, “My Twitter account was taken down for 11 minutes by a rogue employee. I guess the word must finally be getting out-and having an impact.” The social media platform lit up with reaction to the deactivation — with some calling the employee a “hero” and others expressing concerns.

Democratic Representative Ted Lieu, another prolific tweeter, wrote: “Dear Twitter employee who shut down Trump’s Twitter: You made America feel better for 11 minutes. DM me & I will buy you a Pizza Hut pizza (sic).”Jennifer Grygiel, a Syracuse University professor who studies social media, said the deactivation is worrisome. “This is no laughing matter... This incident is a sign that Twitter does not have adequate safeguards in place for significant accounts,” she said.