Former President Trump has returned to Facebook after a ban of more than two years.
“I’M BACK!” Trump posted to the site weeks after his personal account was reactivated. Trump, who is running for the White House in his third campaign, also shared an old video clip in which he said, “Sorry to keep you waiting. Complicated business.”
He posted the same video to YouTube, which announced Friday that it would also welcome him back.
Facebook parent Meta said in January it would reinstate Trump’s personal account in the coming weeks, ending the suspension it imposed following the January 6, 2021 uprising, when Trump’s supporters violently stormed the US capital. to stop the transfer of power.
His access to Facebook and Instagram was restored on February 9, the company confirmed.
“The public needs to be able to hear what their politicians are saying — the good, the bad, and the ugly — so they can make informed decisions at the ballot box,” wrote Nick Clegg, vice president of global affairs at Meta. the time. .
The company also said it will add “new safeguards” to ensure there are no “repeat offenders” who break the rules, even if they are political candidates or world leaders.
Facebook, the world’s largest social media site, has been both a public tool and a major fundraising source for both of Trump’s previous campaigns.
YouTube tweeted earlier Friday, “As of today, Donald J. Trump’s channel is no longer limited to uploading new content.”
“We carefully assessed the continued risk of actual violence, while also weighing the opportunity for voters to hear equally from key national candidates ahead of elections,” they wrote.
Twitter also reinstated Trump’s account last year after Elon Musk took over the company. In 2021, Twitter said it had “permanently suspended” Trump’s account due to “the risk of further incitement to violence”. Since Musk reinstated him, the former president has so far opted not to tweet.
Instead, he posted regularly on his own Truth Social website, which he launched after the suspensions.
A Trump campaign spokesman and a meta rep both declined to comment.
Times staff contributed to this report.
Source: LA Times