Trump’s Facebook and Instagram account was blocked on January 7, 2021. That measure was taken because of the storming of the US Capitol a day earlier. “An extraordinary decision, taken in extraordinary circumstances,” says Meta now.
The former president wants to run again in the American elections in 2024. That is why his campaign team submitted a request to the independent Government Board in early January to unblock the Facebook and Instagram account.
“The normal course of action is that the public should be able to hear a former president of the United States on our platforms.” The question the Meta asked itself is whether there are still “extraordinary circumstances” to maintain the blockade. That is not the case, and so the company is heeding the call from Trump’s team.
Meta emphasizes that Trump must also comply with the terms of use of the social media platforms. The former president can expect punishment again if he is guilty of violating those terms of use again. Depending on the “severity of the offense,” Trump could be suspended from one month to two years.
Trump may use Twitter again, but has not (yet) done so
In addition to Facebook and Instagram, the former president was also blocked on Twitter. That social network was acquired by Elon Musk last year. At the behest of the billionaire, Trump got his Twitter account back again in November. Trump has not used it since the account was reinstated.
In response to the blocking of his accounts, Trump created his own social network: TRUTH Social. The former president has moneylenders agreed to meet that he first puts his messages on his own social network. He may not publish the messages elsewhere until six hours later.
It was therefore on Truth Social that Trump responded to the termination of his suspension. “FACEBOOK, which has lost billions of dollars in value since ‘deplatforming’ your favorite president, me, has just announced that they are reinstating my account,” he wrote. “Something like this should never happen again to a sitting president, or anyone else who doesn’t deserve retaliation!”
Trump used Twitter as his mouthpiece until early 2021. Facebook was especially important for campaigning and fundraising.
