Donald Trump to be allowed back onto Facebook and Instagram

Donald Trump’s accounts on Facebook and Instagram will be restored after Meta announced the end of their two-year suspension.

The prohibition will be lifted “in the next weeks,” according to the social media giant.

According to Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global relations, the public “should be able to hear what their leaders are saying,” according to a statement.

Following the Capitol riot in 2021, the then-US president was barred from using Facebook and Instagram indefinitely.

Mr Trump’s “support for persons engaging in violence at the Capitol,” according to Mr Clegg, prompted the corporation to take action.

“It was an extraordinary judgment made in extraordinary circumstances,” he added.

He stated that an investigation determined that Mr. Trump’s accounts no longer posed a severe risk to public safety.

However, because of Mr. Trump’s previous “violations,” he would now face harsher sanctions for repeat offenses.

Republicans have been pushing for Mr. Trump’s return to Facebook as he prepares to run for president 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.

Twitter had also banned the former president following the 6 January 2021 US Capitol riot, saying he had broken its rules on the glorification of violence.

But in November, Twitter’s owner Elon Musk said Mr Trump’s account ban had been lifted, after running a poll in which users narrowly backed the move.

Mr Trump has not yet returned to Twitter, having earlier said: “I don’t see any reason for it.”

SOURCE: BBC