Meta is set to release it nearly two years after former US president Donald Trump suspended his Facebook account.
Meta said in a statement that Trump will be able to access his Facebook and Instagram accounts “in the coming weeks” but will “take measures to ensure that repetitive crimes don’t happen.” The decision comes after Trump wrote to Facebook to be allowed to return ahead of the upcoming presidential primary election.
Trump was first kicked off Facebook for publicly praising rebels following the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Meta’s handling of the initial suspension, which it quickly extended from a 24-hour ban to an “indefinite” suspension, was heavily criticized, including by its own Oversight Board. In its decision weighing on Trump’s suspension, the board accused Meta of not following its own rules and trying to evade its responsibilities.
Meta later reconsidered the suspension and said it would last at least two years. And now the company has confirmed that Trump will finally be allowed to return to Facebook. Meta’s senior policy officer, Nick Clegg, also said the former president would be “subject to new increased penalties” for future policy violations.
Clegg says Trump and other prominent figures suspended for civil unrest will face new suspensions lasting at least a month if they commit the same crime in the future.
Meta’s decision comes months after Elon Musk restored the former president’s Twitter account. But Trump has so far refused to return to Twitter, choosing to stay on Truth Social, which he launched last year. However, he plans to return, according to a recent report in Rolling Stone. It is even said that he is considering leaving Truth Social.
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