"Good or Bad, Ugly or Not..." Facebook Also Restores Trump Account (Comprehensive)

Trump Account Restoration Allowed... Two Years After 'Capitol Riot'
"Democratic Society Must Be Able to Hear Politicians"
Twitter Account Previously Reactivated but Not Used

Facebook has allowed the restoration of former U.S. President Donald Trump's account. This comes more than two years after the account was suspended due to the 'Capitol riot' incident.

On the 25th (local time), according to CNBC and others, Nick Clegg, Meta's global affairs officer, stated on a blog, "We do not want to hinder open and democratic discussions during election situations in democratic societies like the United States." Clegg added, "The public must be able to hear what politicians say so they can make informed choices at the ballot box, whether what is said is good, bad, or ugly."

Trump's team officially sent a letter to Meta on the 17th requesting the reinstatement of his Facebook account. The letter reportedly stated, "We believe the suspension of former President Trump's Facebook account has severely distorted and suppressed public discourse." Trump had previously declared his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election. This led to analyses suggesting that the Facebook account restoration is related to his political activities. At the time, Meta said it would announce a decision in a few weeks following the procedure.

Twitter Account Also Restored... Possible Return to Existing SNS Ahead of U.S. Presidential Election

On the 25th (local time), Facebook allowed the restoration of former U.S. President Donald Trump's account.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Facebook suspended former President Trump's account after supporters opposing the 2020 election results stormed the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021. Regarding this, Clegg explained, "It was a special decision made under special circumstances," adding, "The issue is not whether to restore the account because the suspension period has passed, but whether the special circumstances that warranted the suspension still remain to justify extending the period."

Clegg said, "The decision was made considering expert assessments of behavior and security conditions around last year's U.S. midterm elections," and added, "As a result, the company concluded that 'the risk has sufficiently decreased, and the two-year period we set should be respected.'" However, former President Trump will be subject to "enhanced sanctions for repeat offenses" applied to restored public figures due to 'civil unrest.' If Trump violates Meta's community guidelines again, his posts will be removed, and depending on the severity, his account may be suspended for between one month and two years.

Image from the Facebook app. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, Twitter also permanently banned former President Trump's account due to the 'Capitol riot' incident but restored it 22 months later after Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, became the new owner in November last year. However, Trump stated he would use the social networking service (SNS) he founded, Truth Social, and did not post on Twitter. Nonetheless, comparing follower counts across SNS platforms shows a clear difference in influence: Truth Social (4.8 million), Twitter (87 million), and Facebook (34 million).

A close aide to Trump told NBC, "He will probably return to Twitter. The question is how and when." However, another aide added, "Because of his relationship with Truth Social, posting on other SNS platforms may be limited."