Trump calls for US constitution to be 'terminated'

Attack on one of America's founding documents comes after Twitter limited access to a story about Hunter Biden's laptop

Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Georgia earlier this year. AP
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Donald Trump has called for parts of the US constitution to be “terminated” and launched a renewed attack on the integrity of the 2020 presidential election that he lost to Joe Biden by seven million votes.

Mr Trump's latest assault on US democratic norms comes after an investigative journalist published a series of tweets that showed how Twitter limited sharing of a New York Post article in 2020 detailing the alleged contents of a stolen laptop that reportedly belonged to Mr Biden's son, Hunter Biden.

“So, with the revelation of MASSIVE & WIDESPREAD FRAUD & DECEPTION in working closely with Big Tech Companies, the DNC, & the Democrat Party, do you throw the Presidential Election Results of 2020 OUT and declare the RIGHTFUL WINNER, or do you have a NEW ELECTION?” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform on Saturday.

“A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution. Our great 'Founders' did not want, and would not condone, False & Fraudulent Elections!”

Mr Trump, who is running for president again in 2024, did not elaborate on which aspects of one of America's founding documents should be overturned.

His baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen through widespread election fraud have been repeatedly debunked by dozens of judges across the US.

Mr Trump's message came after journalist Matt Taibbi posted a series of tweets and images of what he said were leaked internal Twitter messages and emails.

He did not say where the messages came from but Twitter owner Elon Musk heralded the release of the emails and teased the publication of the so-called “Twitter Files”.

The story goes back to late 2020 during the closing stages of the presidential campaign, when Twitter limited access to a New York Post article containing unverified claims about Hunter Biden’s activities in Ukraine.

The contents of Hunter Biden's laptop reportedly include evidence of him using narcotics and paying women for sex. Republicans have vowed to bring renewed attention to the laptop when they take control of the House of Representatives in January.

At the time it restricted sharing of the New York Post story, Twitter said it did so because it included screenshots and images that violated the company’s Hacked Materials Policy.

Then-chief executive Jack Dorsey later said that such a move without providing more context had been “unacceptable”.

After Mr Trump called for parts of America's constitution to be overturned, the White House said such an attack on US norms should be “universally condemned”.

“The American constitution is a sacrosanct document that for over 200 years has guaranteed that freedom and the rule of law prevail in our great country,” the White House said.

“The constitution brings the American people together — regardless of party — and elected leaders swear to uphold it”.

A look at former president Donald Trump's Truth Social feed — in pictures

Updated: December 04, 2022, 5:11 PM