Meta announced on Friday that it has lifted the restrictions on former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. These measures were initially imposed following the violent storming of the U.S. Capitol by his supporters in January 2021.
In a statement, Meta said, “Former President Trump, as the nominee of the Republican Party, will no longer be subject to the heightened suspension penalties.”
Trump’s accounts were suspended indefinitely after the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, during which he was found to have praised the violent actions on social media. Although his accounts were reinstated in February 2023, they carried the threat of penalties for future violations. Meta has now lifted this additional restriction.
“In assessing our responsibility to allow political expression, we believe that the American people should be able to hear from the nominees for President on the same basis,” Meta stated in a blog post. The company emphasized that U.S. presidential candidates “remain subject to the same Community Standards as all Facebook and Instagram users, including policies designed to prevent hate speech and incitement to violence.”
Trump, who became the first former president to be convicted of a crime, was also banned from Twitter and YouTube. Although those bans were lifted last year, Trump primarily communicates via his own social media platform, Truth Social. His Facebook profile, which has 34 million followers, features posts originally published on Truth Social, along with invitations to rallies and campaign videos.
