After serving out a two-year suspension, former President Donald Trump was reinstated to Facebook on Wednesday, January 25. The Meta group said Trump’s account will be restored shortly.
Trump’s account was blocked after the January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol, with Big Tech saying he had incited the violence that occurred on that day.
Why Was Trump’s Ban Lifted?
Meta’s vice president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, said every good citizen has the right to direct access to their politicians. This is key to consciously casting a vote at the ballot box.
In other words, people deserve to hear from Trump the same as they would any other politician, but make no mistake; this is Facebook admitting they were wrong.
According to Meta, the company is working to ensure there are more efficient measures about who gets banned and why. They said = that if there is a potential risk on the platform, they will act quickly and imply the new rules.
Meta has made it clear that if Trump comes again to post something that violates company guidelines, he will be blocked again.
It’s great that President Trump will be back on Facebook soon.
But he shouldn’t have been banned in the first place.
Can’t happen again.
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) January 26, 2023
TRUTH Social
In 2021, the day after the U.S. Capitol riot, Trump posted support and praise for those who took part in the protest portion of the event.
Facebook then said this was the same as condoning violence, even though he condemned that part of it. He was then banned for two years.
Refusing to remain silent for all this time, and also after being banned from Twitter, Trump created his own social media platform named TRUTH Social. Trump has so far only made use of that platform and shunned all others.
Trump incited an insurrection. And tried to stop the peaceful transfer of power.
He’s shown no remorse. No contrition.
Giving him back access to a social media platform to spread his lies and demagoguery is dangerous.@facebook caved, giving him a platform to do more harm.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) January 25, 2023
Why Facebook Matters for Trump
Facebook is not just a page for Trump to have his voice heard. The platform helps raise money for his campaign as well.
Trump has spoken out and said Facebook has lost a lot since they blocked his account. Trump has more than 34 million followers on Facebook.
After Elon Musk took over Twitter, Trump had his account unlocked. However, he has not yet made use of it and has chosen to remain on TRUTH Social.
Leftists have already begun to express concern that Trump has gained access to his Facebook account, saying he should be permanently banned.
The Bottom Line
Facebook remains the world’s largest social platform. His return puts Trump in a prominent position, especially for accessing a large audience of older people who tend to give more for political campaigns.
Facebook could end up being a valuable fundraising platform for Trump.
Seeing that he’s already announced his 2024 presidential run, this is only good news for Trump as he seeks to erase the influence and momentum of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
