Donald Trump, the controversial former US president, has made a comeback to social media platforms Facebook and YouTube after being banned for over two years. The restrictions were imposed in the aftermath of the January 6 insurrection, when Trump’s supporters violently stormed the US Capitol to protest against the peaceful transition of power as he lost the election.
Trump’s YouTube channel was suspended with the platform citing the incitement of violence as the reason for the ban. In the wake of the riots, Trump’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts were also suspended. After several months of silence on major social media platforms, Trump launched his own social media platform, Truth Social, in an attempt to regain a foothold in the digital world. This move was met with mixed reactions, with some hailing it as a bold step towards free speech and others criticizing it as a tool for spreading misinformation and propaganda.
In 2022, Trump announced that he would be running for the US presidency in 2024, and since then his accounts on all major social media platforms have been restored. Trump’s return to social media has sparked debate and controversy, with some arguing that it is important to allow all voices to be heard, while others argue that his past actions have demonstrated a lack of responsibility and a tendency towards inciting violence.
Trump’s first post on Facebook after his account was restored simply read “I’M BACK!” accompanied by a video. His Twitter account was also restored later in the year 2022. The former president’s return to social media platforms is likely to attract widespread attention and scrutiny as the 2024 US presidential election draws closer.
