Former President Donald Trump will face fewer restrictions on Instagram and Facebook in the coming weeks, Meta announced in a statement Friday that outlined new guardrails for Trump’s accounts ahead of the presidential election and Republican convention—lifting the penalties that date back to the 2021 Capitol riot.
Former President Donald Trump speaks during his campaign rally Tuesday in Doral, Florida.
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Key Takeaways
- Trump’s Meta accounts, which were suspended following the Jan. 6 riot and unsuspended last year, will now be subject to far shorter suspensions if they violate Instagram or Facebook’s community guidelines.
- Previously, the president’s accounts could be suspended for up to two years if he made infractions against Meta’s terms of service.
- Trump, who has 34 million followers on Facebook, has posted consistently since late June, taking to the platform to promote his rallies, make statements and take shots at President Joe Biden.
- Meta’s said the restrictions will be lifted so people can “hear from the nominees for President on the same basis,” noting next week’s Republican National Convention that will formally make Trump the GOP nominee.
Key Background
Trump was suspended from Twitter and Facebook in 2021 over concerns his posts encouraged or praised the Jan. 6 riot. Since then, the former president has frequently posted on Truth Social, an alternative platform created by his own media company, Trump Media & Technology Group. Despite having his ban from Twitter—now known as X—lifted under new owner Elon Musk, Trump has only tweeted once, using the platform to promote his website following his election interference case indictment in Georgia.
This article first appeared on forbes.com.
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