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The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on Donald Trump’s re-election plans. His promise to maintain record-breaking economic expansion and “keep America great” has been swept away by record unemployment and the financial toll that the nationwide business-closure and shelter-in-place orders have taken.

During the outbreak, the president has leaned heavily on a favourite method of communication, Twitter, to bypass the filters of mainstream media.

However, some of the president’s sharpest attacks have been reserved for Twitter itself, which on Tuesday added a “fact check” label to his tweets – a first. Just a few hours after Twitter’s move, the president began threatening “big action” against the company (although it is unclear what authority the president has to do so).

Donald Trump has touted his “unpredictablity” and willingness to counter-punch when threatened as two of his biggest strengths, but Twitter has taken steps that could blunt one of his most effective weapons.