Meta reinstates Trump’s accounts

Meta said Wednesday that it is ending former President Donald Trump’s account suspension on its Instagram and Facebook platforms. Social media sites, including Twitter and YouTube, barred Trump from their platforms after the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. According to Meta Global Affairs President Nick Clegg, the public should be able to hear from potential leaders of the country. Meta has a new Crisis Policy Protocol, new policies, and ​​new “guardrails” for policing users, Clegg wrote in a blog post. Twitter reinstated Trump in November.

What has Trump said? Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, that Facebook has “lost billions” since banning him. Sitting presidents and anyone “not deserving of retribution” shouldn’t be banned, he said. It was unclear on Thursday morning when or if he’ll return to the Meta platforms. Right now, Trump has an exclusivity agreement with Truth Social which requires him to post on it six hours before he posts on any other platform. That agreement expires in June. 

Dig deeper: Read Daniel Huizinga’s column in WORLD Opinions about how social media is damaging our culture.