Facebook parent, Meta has disclosed that it will restore former President Donald Trump ’s personal account in the coming weeks, ending a two-year suspension it imposed in the wake of the January 6 insurrection.
The company announced in a blog post that it is adding “new guardrails” to ensure there are no “repeat offenders” who violate its rules, even if they are political candidates or world leaders.
Nick Clegg, Meta’s Vice President of global affairs, wrote, “The public should be able to hear what their politicians are saying; the good, the bad and the ugly so that they can make informed choices at the ballot box.”
Clegg added that when there is a “clear risk” to real-world harm, Meta will intervene.
“In the event that Mr. Trump posts further violating content, the content will be removed and he will be suspended for between one month and two years, depending on the severity of the violation.”
Nick Clegg, Meta’s Vice President of global affairs
Facebook suspended Trump on January 7, 2021, for praising people who engaged in violent acts at the Capitol a day earlier.
However, the company had resisted earlier calls, including calls from its own employees, to remove Trump’s account.
Meta disclosed that Trump’s accounts will be restored “in the coming weeks” on both Facebook and Instagram. Banned from mainstream social media, Trump has been relying on Truth Social, which he launched after being blocked from Twitter.
Facebook is not only the world’s largest social media site, but had been a crucial source of fundraising revenue for Trump’s campaigns, which spent millions of dollars on the company’s ads in 2016 and 2020.
The decision, which comes as Trump is preparing for his third run for the White House, will not only allow Trump to communicate directly with his 34 million followers, dramatically more than the 4.8 million who currently follow him on Truth Social, but will also allow him to resume direct fundraising.
During the suspension, Trump’s supporters were able to raise money for him, but could not run ads directly from him or in his voice.
Reacting to the news, Trump criticized Facebook’s original decision to suspend his account as he praised Truth Social.
“FACEBOOK, which has lost Billions of Dollars in value since “deplatforming” your favorite President, me, has just announced that they are reinstating my account. Such a thing should never again happen to a sitting President, or anybody else who is not deserving of retribution!”
Donald Trump
Other social media companies, including Snapchat, where he remains suspended, also kicked him off their platforms following the insurrection. Trump was recently reinstated on Twitter after Elon Musk took over the company. He has not tweeted yet.
Civil Rights Groups Denounce Meta’s Decision
Civil rights groups and others on the left were quick to denounce Meta’s decision.
Heidi Beirich, founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism opined that letting Trump back on Facebook sends a signal to other figures with large online audiences that they may break the rules without lasting consequences.
“I am not surprised but it is a disaster. Facebook created loopholes for Trump that he went right through. He incited an insurrection on Facebook and now he’s back.”
Heidi Beirich
NAACP President Derrick Johnson criticized the decision as “a prime example of putting profits above people’s safety” and a “grave mistake.”
“It’s quite astonishing that one can spew hatred, fuel conspiracies, and incite a violent insurrection at our nation’s Capitol building, and Mark Zuckerberg still believes that is not enough to remove someone from his platforms.”
NAACP President Derrick Johnson
Nick Clegg, Meta’s Vice President of global affairs stated that in light of his previous violations, Trump now faces heightened penalties for repeat offenses.
Such penalties “will apply to other public figures whose accounts are reinstated from suspensions related to civil unrest under our updated protocol.”
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