Donald Trump, ex-President of the United States, used Facebook again on Friday after being prohibited from the website since January 2021.
He posted a snippet of his remarks after claiming victory in the 2016 presidential election, writing, "I'M BACK! Sorry it took so long, it's been a complex situation." In the video, he adds, "Complicated, complicated."
In January, Meta revoked the suspension of Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts, though he did not post anything to either one until this past Friday. His comeback to Facebook is taking place at the same time as his ban on YouTube, a service operated by Google, has been taken away.
Twitter was the initial major social media site to rescind its prohibition on Trump after he was barred from a number of outlets due to the disturbance at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Following his purchase of the social media outlet in 2020, CEO Elon Musk reactivated Trump’s Twitter profile in November.
Since his suspension in early 2021, Trump has not gone back to Twitter, which was a major part of his communication before. Commentators have pondered if and when Trump will again appear on the site in his effort to run for President in 2024. Lately, Trump has mainly been seen on his own social media account, Truth Social, which he made following his ban from other media sites.
Meta took down Trump’s accounts in January due to the risk of physical harm connected to his presence on the platforms. However, Meta reinstated his presence on its platforms as it deemed that “the risk had diminished”, yet set up "precautionary measures" to avoid a similar occurrence. This was declared in a January report by Meta.
Meta stated that, like other Facebook and Instagram users, Mr. Trump is bound to the Community Standards. Due to his violations, he is now subject to stricter sanctions for recurrent infractions, which will also be carried out on other prominent persons with accounts reactivated after being suspended for civil unrest in accordance with the updated protocol. In case Mr. Trump posts content that breaks the rules again, the material will be taken down and he will be suspended for a period that ranges from one month to two years depending on the gravity of the violation.