In the lead-up to the 2024 U.S. Presidential election, tech giant Meta announced on Friday, July 12th, that it has decided to lift the restrictions on the Facebook and Instagram accounts of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. This marks the first time since 2021 that Meta has fully unblocked Trump.
Following the Capitol Hill riot on January 6, 2021, Trump’s accounts were suspended by Meta for two years, with full reinstatement not occurring until January 2023. Even then, there were still some limitations in place, along with harsher penalties for repeated violations.
However, on Friday, Nick Clegg, Meta’s head of global affairs, stated in a release that with the party conventions forthcoming and presidential candidates soon to be officially nominated, Meta believes in allowing for political expression and ensuring that the American people can hear from presidential nominees on an equal footing. As such, they have decided to cease the additional penalties on Trump’s accounts.
Clegg mentioned that this decision aims to put Republican candidate Trump on an equal footing with the current President Biden.
Throughout his tenure as president, Trump heavily utilized social media as a means of communication, garnering significant attention from the American public.
The news was first reported by Axios.
Nevertheless, Meta emphasized that Trump must still adhere to the same standards as all Facebook and Instagram users, including the prohibition of incitement of hate and violence. Should Trump violate Meta’s community guidelines again, he will face suspension once more.
For a long time, Trump and his supporters have criticized the social media conglomerates’ content moderation policies, alleging deliberate suppression of conservative voices.
While Trump has already established his presence on the alternative social media platform Truth Social as his messaging platform, he has also begun regularly posting on Facebook and Instagram since the restoration of his accounts, and registered on TikTok last month.
However, he has only shared information on X platform once.