The parent company of Facebook announced a bombshell this week: former President Donald Trump is allowed back on their social media platform. This will likely boost his 2024 campaign at a critical time.
The former president was suspended from Facebook following the Jan. 6, 2021, protest at the Capitol. The move followed a similar one at Facebook’s sister platform Instagram as well as social media giant Twitter.
Twitter CEO Elon Musk announced in late 2022 Trump’s reinstatement on the site. This occurred after a poll found a majority of Twitter users were in favor of the former president’s return.
Facebook’s parent company Meta made the shock announcement as Trump is allegedly weighing using his newly reactivated Twitter account.
Meta was relatively terse about the account’s reactivation. According to the social media giant, the former president will be able to post as long as he follows Facebook’s rules.
Trump's Facebook, Instagram accounts being restored after 2-year suspension https://t.co/NeCbzg4Uii pic.twitter.com/mif1O2T7Ct
— New York Post (@nypost) January 25, 2023
Whether Trump will last on the site, should he return, is anyone’s guess. Elon Musk released a number of crucial emails showing the collusion between Democrats and Twitter’s former operators.
The potential return to Facebook and Instagram is a major coup for the 45th president. Trump has been without a popular social media platform since early 2021. Even Truth Social does not yet have the reach of the Big Tech giants.
Meanwhile, Trump posted on Truth Social, “FACEBOOK, which has lost Billions of Dollars in value since “de-platforming” 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!”
Meta’s announcement was made by former British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who stated that the public should have the ability to hear messages from politicians. This included “the good, the bad, and the ugly,” he wrote.
The next few weeks will be interesting as the public may indeed see the return of Donald Trump to Facebook and Twitter.
