The former US President was blocked by Meta, the parent company of the two social media platforms, after his supporters stormed the Capitol two years ago. Now he can go back.
Technology group Meta is letting former US President Donald Trump back on Facebook and Instagram. The Republican’s access to social networks will be reactivated in the coming weeks, Meta announced on Wednesday. A statement from Trump himself was initially not available.
His access to the two platforms was blocked after his supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, during which Trump claimed the election victory was “stolen” by Democrats, who praised increasingly violent protesters, and then-Vice President Mike Pence when he was already being threatened with death by mobs. Trump is running for a second term in next year’s presidential election.
“In general, we don’t want to stand in the way of open debate on our platforms, especially around democratic elections,” Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, said on Twitter. Clegg, who led the Liberal Democrats in the UK when they were part of the then Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron’s government, was the executive responsible for deciding whether Trump’s account would be reactivated.
The day after the storming of the Capitol, Meta had initially placed Trump’s accounts with an “indefinite” ban. At the time, the group convened an Oversight Board – a group of external lawyers, journalists and political experts paid by Meta – to review its decision. At their suggestion, the company decided that the ban should last at least two years.