Donald Trump will be allowed back on to Facebook and Instagram after Meta announced it would be ending its two-year suspension of his accounts. Donald Trump to be allowed back onto Facebook and Instagram.
The suspension will end “in the coming weeks”, the social media giant said. In a statement, Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, said the public “should be able to hear what their politicians are saying”.
The then-US president was indefinitely suspended from Facebook and Instagram after the Capitol riot in 2021. The firm had taken action following Mr. Trump’s “praise for people engaged in violence at the Capitol”, Mr. Clegg said.
“The suspension was an extraordinary decision taken in extraordinary circumstances,” he added. He said a review found that Mr. Trump’s accounts no longer represented a serious risk to public safety.
But because of Mr. Trump’s past “violations,” he would now face heightened penalties for repeat offences. Republicans have been pressing for Mr. Trump to be allowed back on Facebook as he prepares to run for the presidency again next year.
Mr. Trump posted on his own social media company, Truth Social, in response on Wednesday, saying that Facebook had “lost Billions” after banning “your favorite President, me”.
“Such a thing should never again happen to a sitting President, or anybody else who is not deserving of retribution!” he wrote. Donald Trump to be allowed back onto Facebook and Instagram.
Donald Trump now has the decision to make. Truth Social, a social media platform he set up in 2021, has vastly fewer users than Facebook. Facebook has three billion users.
Truth Social may have as many as five million accounts – though it’s likely it has far fewer active users.
However, Mr. Trump has an exclusivity agreement with Truth Social – which means he is legally required to post first on the platform – six hours before any other platform.
It means if he posts on Facebook or Twitter – there is a chance he could get sued. Analysts also warn that if Mr. Trump were to stop using Truth Social, or post content elsewhere, the platform would struggle to survive.
He could simply ignore that exclusivity agreement – and start posting content straight away. However, that could open him up to legal problems.
What is also possible is that he simply waits until June, when the agreement times out. Or, he could take the decision never to go back to platforms that he has criticized consistently.
However, if he is going to have a tilt at the White House, being on Facebook – the world’s biggest social media platform – would make a lot of sense.
Whatever happens next, the ball is firmly in Mr. Trump’s court now.
If he does decide to come back, though, he will have to follow Meta’s rules. The company has left the door open for another suspension if he flouts them.
It means Mr. Trump will have to hold his tongue (to a certain extent) on Facebook, in a way that he doesn’t currently have to on Truth Social.
Former US President Donald Trump call for “termination” of US Constitution
