(TheRedAlertNews.com) – Former President Trump has criticized Facebook and its parent company Meta for banning him in the first place, following their announcement that he would be reinstated to the platform after his two-year ban.
In a social media post, Trump wrote, “FACEBOOK, which has lost Billions of Dollars in value since ‘deplatforming’ your favorite President, me, has just announced that they are reinstating my account. Such a thing should never again happen to a sitting President, or anybody else who is not deserving of retribution!”
Trump also thanked Truth Social, his own platform, for “doing an incredible job” for having him and for their recent success.
Meta, who owns and operates Instagram, announced Wednesday via a blog post that it would end Trump’s suspension on both social media platforms “in the coming weeks.”
Nick Clegg, president of global affairs at Meta, said the company determined that Trump is no longer a “serious risk to public safety,” and they had “guardrails” in place for his return.
“To assess whether the serious risk to public safety that existed in January 2021 has sufficiently receded, we have evaluated the current environment according to our Crisis Policy Protocol, which included looking at the conduct of the US 2022 midterm elections, and expert assessments on the current security environment,” Clegg wrote. “Our determination is that the risk has sufficiently receded, and that we should therefore adhere to the two-year timeline we set out. As such, 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.”
The suspension was initially instated following the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, when the platform said it would be booting Trump “indefinitely” for his alleged involvement. The decision drew backlash across the political spectrum and was the first time a sitting president was barred from Facebook.
At the time, Trump was also banned from Twitter, YouTube, and Snapchat.
Clegg said Facebook evaluated the suspension later that year, in June 2021, when it changed the ban to a minimum of two years, until Jan 2023. The guardrails include a heightened penalty for a repeat offense, should Trump violate the platforms’ terms of service or contribute to conversations that do “not violate our Community Standards but that contributes to the sort of risk that materialized on January 6,” Clegg said.
A repeat offense, Clegg said, would result in another ban ranging from one month to two years, based “on the severity of the violation.” Clegg also recognized that Trump’s return to the platform would spark a backlash among his critics.
In an exclusive interview, Trump told Fox News Digital that Facebook has “lost $700 billion since I was de-platformed.” He added, “It has been considered a major business mistake for them, Twitter, and others.” Trump said earlier this month, “If they took us back, it would help them greatly, and that’s okay with me. But they need us more than we need them.”
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital that Trump heavily relied on Facebook ad sales during his successful 2016 campaign when he defeated Hillary Clinton. Trump spent $44 million between June and November 2016, Cheung said, citing nearly 6 million different versions of ads that Trump ran.
The Republican former president announced his 2024 presidential campaign in November and is the only candidate currently in the race. His bid could set up a possible rematch with President Biden.
What is your opinion? Do you agree with the decision by Meta to reinstate Trump’s ability to post on Facebook and Instagram? Why or why not? Please share your thoughts and views by emailing [email protected]. Thank you.
