Under what circumstances can Trump be banned from Twitter?

In light of Donald Trump's recent and past Twitter rants, many are asking if he could actually get banned from the social media service one day.

A Washington Post op-ed article, published on Tuesday, begins with, "Hot on the heels of Donald Trump's latest outrageously outrageous tweet — in which he suggested that we either imprison people who burn the flag or strip them of their citizenship — it's time for Twitter to take action and ban Donald Trump from the service."

Twitter, on its part, has indicated that it would not exempt government officials, including President-elect Donald Trump, from its rules prohibiting hate speech, if the circumstances warrant that course of action.

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Will Oremus writes in a recent Slate post that the social media company was asked about the potential for such bans, and a spokesperson responded with an email stating, "The Twitter Rules prohibit violent threats, harassment, hateful conduct, and multiple account abuse, and we will take action on accounts violating those policies."

When asked about Trump specifically, the piece notes, "a company spokesperson confirmed: 'The Twitter Rules apply to all accounts, including verified accounts.'"

Some would prefer not to wait for such an infraction. An online petition is underway to try and get him removed from Twitter, with the campaign's sponsor, Shirley Burns, writing that "by locking or suspending Donald Trump's account, Twitter can send a powerful message that hate is not accepted or condoned on their platform."

Twitter has been a powerful communication tool for Donald Trump, enabling him to directly and quickly get his message out to his 16.4 million followers.