Meta to lift ban on Trump’s Facebook, Instagram accounts within weeks

WASHINGTON

Meta said Wednesday that it will restore former US President Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts "in the coming weeks" after a two-year suspension.

"We will be reinstating Mr. Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts in the coming weeks. However, we are doing so with new guardrails in place to deter repeat offenses," Nick Clegg, president of global affairs at Meta, said in a blog post from the company

The company suspended Trump's accounts over his alleged role in praising people engaged in violence at the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

It said Trump is subject to its Community Standards like any other Facebook or Instagram user.

"In light of his violations, he now also faces heightened penalties for repeat offenses — penalties which will apply to other public figures whose accounts are reinstated from suspensions related to civil unrest under our updated protocol.

"In the event that Mr. Trump posts further violating content, the content will be removed and he will be suspended for between one month and two years, depending on the severity of the violation," said Clegg.

Following the announcement, Trump criticized Facebook for “deplatforming” him, claiming the company "has lost Billions of Dollars in value" since his suspension.

"Such a thing should never again happen to a sitting President, or anybody else who is not deserving of retribution!" he said on his Truth Social platform.

Last November, Elon Musk, the new owner of the microblogging platform Twitter, reinstated Trump's account 22 months after it was suspended.

Two years ago, Trump supporters violently besieged the Capitol, overrunning barricades and attacking police before invading the building that many Americans view as a bastion of democracy.

The events that day mark the first time the Capitol was attacked since the War of 1812.

Trump lost the 2020 presidential election by over 7 million votes, and his allegations of widespread voter fraud have been met with over five dozen legal defeats. They were also rejected by his attorney general, William Barr, who left the Justice Department in the final days of the administration as Trump sought a way to retain power.

Five people died as a result of the violence on Jan. 6, 2021, while in the aftermath, four law enforcement officers died by suicide.