Trump returns to Facebook and YouTube after reinstatement

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump has returned to Facebook after a ban of more than two years.

“I’M BACK!” Trump posted on the site weeks after reactivating his personal account. He also shared an old music video in which he said, “Sorry to keep you waiting. Complicated business.

Trump posted the same clip to YouTube, which announced on Friday that it was also hosting it.

Facebook parent Meta said in January it would restore Trump’s personal account in the coming weeks, ending the suspension it imposed following the Jan. 6 uprising, when supporters of Trump violently stormed the US Capitol in an effort to halt the peaceful transition of power.

His access to Facebook and Instagram was restored on February 9, the company confirmed.

“The public should be able to hear what their politicians are saying – the good, the bad and the ugly – so they can make informed choices at the ballot box,” wrote Nick Clegg, vice president of global affairs at the time. Meta. .

LEARN MORE: Tucker Carlson’s contempt for Trump revealed in defamation lawsuit

The company also said it would add ‘new safeguards’ to ensure there are no ‘repeat offenders’ who break its rules, even if they are political candidates or executives. global.

Facebook, the world’s largest social media site, had been both a public tool and a crucial source of fundraising revenue for Trump’s two previous campaigns.

YouTube, in a tweet, announced earlier Friday that “starting today, the Donald J. Trump channel is no longer restricted and can upload new content.”

“We have carefully assessed the continued risk of real-world violence, while balancing the chances that voters will also hear from leading national candidates in the run-up to an election,” they wrote.

Twitter also reinstated Trump’s account last year after Elon Musk took over the company, but the former president has so far chosen not to tweet.

Instead, he posts frequently on his own Truth Social site, which he launched after the suspensions.