US President Donald Trump is to sign an executive order taking action against social-media organisations, the White House confirmed today, after Twitter added fact-check links to his tweets.

Mr Trump threatened to shut down social-media platforms, accusing them of censorship and stifling conservative voices. He has frequently claimed that they are biased, but without offering  evidence.

The latest row came after Twitter added the fact-check links to his tweets for the first time on Tuesday.

In a tweet about the 2020 presidential elections, Mr Trump ranted: “There is NO WAY (ZERO!) that Mail-In Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent.”

Twitter added a warning to this post and linked it to a page that described Mr Trump’s claims as “unsubstantiated.”

The US president responded by threatening to strongly regulate or even close social-media platforms, accusing them of “completely stifling free speech.”

Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey defended the actions of his company, saying: “We’ll continue to point out incorrect or disputed information about elections globally. And we will admit to and own any mistakes we make.”

It is unclear what will be contained in the executive order and whether Mr Trump will be able to impose any regulatory measures without legislation being passed by Congress.

No further information on the details of the order had been made public at the time of writing. It was due to be signed after the Morning Star went to press.