Zuckerberg’s power to hurt President Trump

Top Republicans are privately worried about a new threat to President Trump’s campaign: the possibility of Facebook pulling a Twitter and banning political ads. Facebook says it won't, but future regulatory pressure could change that. If Facebook were to ban — or even limit — ads, it could upend Trump’s fundraising and re-election plan. His campaign has mastered the art of using Facebook’s precision-targeting of people to raise money, stir opposition to impeachment, move voters and even sell Trump shirts and hats. The Trump campaign often uses highly emotional appeals to get clicks and engagement, which provides valuable data on would-be voters and small-dollar donors. Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said, "We’ve always known that President Trump was too successful online and that Democrats would one day seek to wipe him off the Internet." "That’s why we’ve invested so heavily in building up our data to allow us to communicate with millions of voters away from any third-party platforms like Facebook." "Democrats demanding internet platforms shut down political advertising will guarantee Trump’s victory in 2020. They’re idiots."