Former US President Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts were restored Wednesday afternoon following a two-year suspension, effectively ending his post-January 6 bans from the social media platforms.
Facebook and Instagram’s parent company Meta said in a statement it doesn’t believe his presence on the platforms poses the same serious risk to public safety.
The ban existed immediately after the January 6 attack on the Capitol.Facebook suspended Trump indefinitely on January 7, 2021, before later saying the ban would last for at least two years.
Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign formally asked Meta to reinstate him last week, arguing in a letter the suspension “dramatically distorted and inhibited the public discourse.”
Meta said it reserves the right to limit the reach of Trump posts that might question the results of elections.
“We believe it is both necessary and possible to draw a line between content that is harmful and should be removed, and content that, however distasteful or inaccurate, is part of the rough and tumble of life in a free society,” Meta spokesman Nick Clegg wrote.