Trump still banned from Facebook – for now
Donald Trump may be running for president but he still can’t use Facebook, with a review into his suspension due in January – two years after his supporters rioted at the US Capitol in a bid to overturn his election loss.
Armed police barricaded the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 2020 to stop Trump supporters entering in a bid to stop Congress ratifying the former president's election loss. Photo: AP/J. Scott Applewhite
The social media platform has confirmed it has no plans to reinstate Trump’s account following the former president’s announcement on Tuesday that he will seek a second term in the White House.
Trump was kicked off Facebook following the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
Trump might not have to wait long to get back on the site, however. His suspension from Facebook is set to be reconsidered in January, two years after it was first imposed.
Throughout his tenure as president, Trump’s use of social media posed a significant challenge to major social media platforms trying to balance the public’s need to hear from their elected leaders with worries about misinformation, harassment and incitement of violence.
Following the January 6 riot, Trump was also kicked off Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram, which is owned by Facebook parent company Meta. Trump’s ability to post videos to his YouTube channel was suspended.
YouTube spokeswoman Ivy Choi said on Wednesday the company had no plans to lift the suspension.
Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk, has said he disagreed with the platform’s decision to bar Trump following the January 6 attack. Musk said no announcement about reinstating banned users would be made until a content moderation council had reviewed the issue.
Since his suspension, Trump has started his own social media platform, TruthSocial, and says he has no plans to rejoin Twitter if allowed.
Facebook initially placed a 24-hour suspension on Trump’s account on January 6 after he praised the rioters who stormed the Capitol. Facebook creator and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced an indefinite suspension on January 7, adding that “the risks of allowing the president to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great”.
The company’s quasi-independent oversight board upheld the ban but directed Facebook to set a time limit. The ban is now set to expire January 7, 2023.
-with AAP