Meta restores Trump’s Facebook, Instagram accounts

by Olafimihan Oshin - 02/09/23 5:29 PM ET

FILE – Former President Donald Trump announces a third run for president as he speaks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Nov. 15, 2022. Trump is planning to hold the first public campaign event of his 2024 White House bid in the early-voting state of South Carolina. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, restored former President Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts on Thursday, giving Trump access to post on both social media platforms amid his previous suspensions from both platforms.

A Meta spokesperson confirmed to The Hill on Thursday that the company has reinstated Trump’s account on the platforms, pointing to a Jan. 25 statement saying Trump’s account would be reinstated in the “coming weeks.”

Trump’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts currently have 34 million followers and over 23 million followers respectively.

As of Thursday afternoon, his most recent Facebook post was still from Jan. 6, 2021, asking “everyone” at the Capitol to “remain peaceful.”

Trump, who announced his third run for the White House in November, has not said whether he will return to Facebook or Instagram, after starting his own Truth Social platform following his ban. However, Facebook has been an important part of his previous fundraising operations.

Facebook did not consult its oversight board in its decision to allow Trump to return to the platform, but the company said it believes the risk the former president poses to public safety has sufficiently receded since his supporters attacked the Capitol more than two years ago.

“As such, we will be reinstating Mr. Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts in the coming weeks,” a spokesperson said last month. “However, we are doing so with new guardrails in place to deter repeat offenses.”

Before his suspension, Trump and his allies had spread misinformation about the 2020 election results, alleging the election had been stolen.

Trump’s campaign team recently sent a letter to Meta last month asking the company to unlock Trump’s Facebook account as he pursues another bid for the White House. The ex-president is also facing a slew of legal battles and federal investigations against him and his company.

Twitter, under the leadership of new CEO Elon Musk, reinstated Trump’s account in November after a nearly two-year ban from the platform. However, he has not tweeted from his account since the ban was lifted.

Trump has amassed nearly 4.9 million followers on Truth Social, which he launched in response to his suspension from other platforms. An exclusivity contract Trump signed with the company reportedly expires in June.