Trump unblocked by Meta before official presidential candidacy

Meta lifts remaining restrictions on Trump to ensure equal opportunities in the election campaign

Menlo Park (dpa) – The Meta corporation has decided to lift the remaining restrictions on former President Donald Trump to ensure that he, as the official presidential candidate of the Republican Party, can participate on an equal footing in the upcoming election campaign phases. The decision comes shortly after Trump regained his Facebook and Instagram accounts in early 2023.

Why the change?

Meta's decision to lift sanctions on Trump comes in the context that the public has the right to receive transparent and unhindered information from all presidential candidates. While all candidates will continue to be subject to rules prohibiting hate speech and insults, Meta sees the need to ensure that the political discussion on its platforms remains balanced and diverse.

Trump’s past on social media

After Trump urged his supporters to storm the US Capitol in Washington on January 6, 2021, he was banned from most major online platforms. His repeated false statements about the outcome of the 2020 presidential election and his open support for the attackers led to platform operators fearing that his messages could lead to further violence.

Meta had initially decided to ban Trump indefinitely. However, the independent oversight board concluded that this measure was not consistent with the platform's guidelines. It was therefore decided that Trump's accounts would initially be blocked for two years before being reviewed again.

By lifting the final restrictions on Trump, Meta hopes to enable fair and open political discourse on social media while also taking security concerns into account.