Patrick Reis
donald trump is ready to get her Facebook and instagram accounts, as parent company Meta decided that the ex-president who used social media to incite an insurrection should get another chance to post on its platforms.
A Meta spokesperson directed rolling stone to the society published statement, who described his reinstatement as rooted in the belief that tublic should be able to hear what their politicians are saying – the good, the bad and the ugly – so they can make informed choices at the ballot box. The news was first reported by Axios.
Meta says its decision to allow Trump back on Facebook was informed by the company’s belief that “risk has receded enough” since the former president’s initial ouster from the platform following the January 6 Attack on the Capitol. The company says it based its conclusion on a review of 2022 midterms and “expert assessments of the current security environment.”
On his Truth Social account, Trump celebrated the decision while criticizing Meta. “Such a thing should never again happen to a sitting president, or anyone else who doesn’t deserve retaliation!”
Further violations by Trump could result in a suspension of 30 days to two years, “depending on the seriousness of the violation.” Additionally, Meta officials say they will limit the distribution of material that does not violate the company’s stated rules but “contributes to the type of risk that materialized on January 6, such as content that delegitimizes an election. forthcoming or is related to QAnon.”
Not specified in the announcement, Meta’s independent oversight board also has a new jurisdiction since Trump’s January 6 suspension. Shortly before releasing its decision on Trump’s initial suspension, the board announced that it would now accept calls to remove third-party content believed to be in violation of Meta’s Community Standards. Trump’s future inflammatory Facebook posts could face additional and potentially tougher scrutiny from the board, which is more insulated from politics.
Trump rarely used his Facebook account to post unique or exclusive content during his presidency. In interviews, Trump confidant and TMTG CEO Devin Nunes has described Trump’s return to the platform as being driven less by the former president’s display preferences and more by publicity demands. for the next presidential campaign of 2024.
“What this stems from is that the Trump campaign went to Facebook and Instagram to say ‘look, we need to be able to use your platform,'” Nunes said. FoxNews before the announcement of the decision on Wednesday. “Facebook and Instagram probably have over 100 million Americans who are on the platform. Right now you have the leading presidential candidate who can’t advertise, the campaign can’t run on those platforms.”
Trump’s return to Facebook follows Twitter’s decision under new owner Elon Musk to reinstate the former president’s beloved account and anything but beg for his return. Trump previously said he was content to stay at his own social media company, Truth Social. But like rolling stone reported, associates say Trump has already started brainstorming ideas for triumphant comeback tweets, including a possible WWE-style video.
Trump’s term of social media exclusivity with Truth Social, an agreement that requires him to first post content there for at least six hours before posting it elsewhere, could expire in June, raising questions about the future of the company. In his post there celebrating Facebook’s decision on Wednesday, Trump praised the company. “THANK YOU TO TRUTH SOCIAL FOR DOING SUCH AN INCREDIBLE JOB. YOUR GROWTH IS OUTSTANDING, AND THE FUTURE UNLIMITED!!!,” he wrote.