Meta announced on Friday that it is lifting the restrictions on US presidential candidate Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, ending measures implemented after his supporters violently stormed the US Capitol in 2021.
The company stated that “former President Trump, as the nominee of the Republican Party, will no longer be subject to heightened suspension penalties.”
Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts were suspended indefinitely the day after his supporters attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, following his praise of those involved in the violence on social media.
Although his accounts were reinstated in February 2023, there were threats of penalties for any future violations — restrictions that Meta lifted on Friday.
Meta explained in a blog post, “In assessing our responsibility to allow political expression, we believe that the American people should be able to hear from the nominees for President on the same basis.”
The company added that US presidential candidates “remain subject to the same Community Standards as all Facebook and Instagram users, including policies designed to prevent hate speech and incitement to violence.”
Trump, the first former president to be convicted of a crime, was also banned from X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube. While those restrictions were lifted last year, Trump now primarily communicates on his own social media platform, Truth Social.
His Facebook profile, which has 34 million followers, features messages originally posted on Truth Social, along with invitations to rallies and campaign videos.
