‘I’m back!’: Donald Trump returns to Facebook after two year ban
Donald Trump has returned to Facebook after being banned in the wake of the deadly Capitol riot more than two years ago.
The former US President wrote “I’M BACK!” in a post on his official page on Friday.
The post also included an old video of the Republican Party politician at a rally saying: “Sorry to keep you waiting, complicated business”.
He posted the same clip on YouTube, which announced on Friday that it, too, was welcoming him back.
It comes as it was announced that Mr Trump will hold the first rally in his campaign to run for US President in 2024.
He will hold the event on 25 March in Waco, Texas – a state where he has a large following – as he prepares to battle to become the Republican Party’s nomination.
Mr Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts were restored in February by Meta, the company behind the two social media sites.
However, he had not posted up until now, instead continuing to use his own, much smaller, social media site, Truth Social, which he set up in response to his ban.
His Facebook and Instagram accounts were suspended on 7 January 2021 following the Capitol riots, where an insurrection erupted in Washington DC during which hundreds of his supporters stormed the US legislature.
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His last post on his Facebook page was made on 6 January 2021, when he wrote: “I am asking for everyone at the US Capitol to remain peaceful.”
Meta maintained the suspension for two years, but in January announced it was lifting the ban.
“The public should be able to hear what their politicians are saying – the good, the bad and the ugly – so that they can make informed choices at the ballot box,” Nick Clegg, Meta’s vice president of global affairs, wrote at the time.
The tech firm said in a blog post that it would be adding “new guardrails” to ensure there are no “repeat offenders” who violate its rules.
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Mr Trump was also banned from Twitter in the wake of the Capitol riots, but his account was restored in November last year after Elon Musk’s $44bn (£38bn) takeover of the site.
Mr Musk called the ban on Mr Trump’s account a “mistake” and “morally wrong”.
The Tesla founder launched a poll on the site, accompanied by the words “Vox Populi, Vox Dei” – a Latin phrase meaning “the voice of the people is the voice of God” – which asked users to vote on whether Mr Trump should be allowed to return.
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After more than 15 million votes, the result was that he should and his account was reinstated.
However, Mr Trump, who has more than 80 million followers, has not yet used the account and has previously said: “I don’t see any reason for it (returning).”
