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What Would It Take to Shut Down Trump on Twitter?

There is perhaps no 70-year-old man who tweets as voraciously as President-elect Donald Trump. But not everyone is a fan of his messaging.
Image: Donald Trump
In this Dec. 6, 2016, photo, President-elect Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a rally in Fayetteville, N.C. Trump. AP Photo/Gerry Broome)Gerry Broome / AP

There is perhaps no 70-year-old man who tweets as voraciously as President-elect Donald Trump.

But not everyone is a fan of Trump's early-morning/late-night/all-day stream-of-conscious tweeting, which run the gamut from advertising his rallies and media appearances to calling Saturday Night Live "unwatchable" and slamming the president of United Steelworkers 1999. That's just scraping the surface.

"You get a little edginess, then you have Trump — who is on a different planet in terms of how he uses Twitter," Jen Golbeck, a professor at the University of Maryland's College of Information Studies, told NBC News.

"He has very little delay from a thought in his brain to tweeting on the internet," said Golbeck.

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While Trump may have plenty of fans and followers, it seems there are just as many who wish the President-elect would cool it with his tirades and instead, "shut up and lead."

So is it possible to halt Trump's Twitter frenzies? There are two possibilities, but they're a stretch.

He Breaks the Rules

Just because he's going to be the 45th President of the United States doesn't mean Trump will be granted any special protection if he violates Twitter's rules on violent threats, harassment, and hateful conduct.

“The Twitter Rules apply to all accounts, including verified accounts," said a Twitter representative, when asked if the rules will be enforced with Trump.

So if Trump gets a little too feisty, it's possible that even the President of the United States could be subject to a Twitter timeout.

"He tweeted 'If the media would cover me fairly I wouldn't be tweeting,' but he's expected to keep going... It is clear he senses he gets more benefit by going direct," Niklas Myhr, an assistant professor of marketing at Chapman University, told NBC News.

Someone Buys Twitter and Shuts It Down

A few months ago, Twitter was reported to have been fielding buyers, but didn't close the deal.

Twitter is worth $15 billion today, according to its market capitalization. With an estimated net worth of a few billion dollars, Trump couldn't afford to buy the site he loves so much.

However, there are plenty of billionaires who could. While it's admittedly a pie in the sky idea, it would be the ultimate way for a tycoon to troll Trump.

"That's assuming he would allow that to happen with his new great powers," Golbeck said. "I’d expect him to go to Facebook first, but I expect he would explore for other platforms that give him the quick and easy way of communicating. He could really bring a huge audience to a new platform."

So there you have it. While both scenarios are highly unlikely, there is one thing you can do now if you're truly bothered by what you're seeing from the next President of the United States on Twitter. Go to the little gear on his page and click "block."

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