Former United States President Donald Trump has now returned to Facebook and Youtube as the social media app restored his account after 2 years.
On Friday, in return to the tech platforms he used to power his political rise until he was cut off following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on Congress by his followers, Trump made his first Facebook post.
“I’M BACK,” Trump posted along with a 12-second video which seems to be his victory speech after winning the 2016 election and also tried to put out his campaign for the 2024 election in that video. After the 2016 video, Trump put his famous slogan “Make America Great Again” or MAGA, which came to be popular during his last successful presidential campaign.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Trump says in the video.
Meanwhile, taking to Twitter, an Youtube insider said, “Starting today, the Donald J. Trump channel is no longer restricted and can upload new content. We carefully evaluated the continued risk of real-world violence, while balancing the chance for voters to hear equally from major national candidates in the run-up to an election.”
“This channel will continue to be subject to our policies, just like any other channel on YouTube,” YouTube added.
Trump’s return to YouTube and Facebook is happening just as the Manhattan District Attorney’s office is considering criminal charges related to hush-money payments made to a p*orn star during Trump’s 2016 campaign, charges that Trump and his allies are arguing without evidence are politically motivated.
Now, his return gives him access to key vehicles for political fundraising, allowing him to reach a combined 146 million followers across three major tech platforms as he makes another run for the presidency in 2024.
Earlier, in February, Meta restored Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. The reinstatement was expected after Facebook’s president of global affairs Nick Clegg in January said that the suspension will be lifted, as per the news report. Trump’s accounts on Facebook and Instagram were suspended by Meta after January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
The ban was announced initially as an indefinite ban that included the last two weeks of his presidency, as per the NBC News report. The ban on Trump’s account was later formally extended for two years.
At the time of writing this news article, Trump has not shared any new posts on his Facebook or Instagram accounts. His last Instagram post, dated January 6, 2021, promoted the ‘Save America’ march where he would encourage his supporters to march on the Capitol.
Sharing the post on Instagram, Trump captioned it as, “I will be speaking at the SAVE AMERICA Rally tomorrow on the Ellipse at 11 AM Eastern. Arrive early – door open at 7 AM Eastern. Big Crowds!”
Before the suspension, Trump’s last post on Facebook called for people to leave the Capitol. In the post on Facebook, Trump stated, “I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order — respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!”