Donald Trump has threatened to shut down Twitter after the social media network placed a fact-check warning on some of the US president’s tweets for the first time, escalating tension between the Silicon Valley company and its most famous user.

Twitter added the warning to two tweets on Tuesday in which Mr Trump — who has battled publicly with state governors who want to encourage postal voting as a way to allow more people to vote during the coronavirus pandemic — falsely claimed that mail-in ballots were “fraudulent” and would lead to “a rigged election”. 

A link now appears beneath the tweets reading “Get the facts about mail-in ballots”, which directs users to a page with news articles, tweets and a fact box that suggest the claim is unsubstantiated.