Never before has Donald Trump come close to making a comeback on Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ: META) social media.
Before the 2024 presidential election, the former Republican president—who was barred from Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and Twitter following the events of January 6, 2021, on Capitol Hill—might make a comeback.
Facebook, now known as Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ: META), may decide to lift the suspension placed on the real estate mogul’s accounts.
“You need to act with tremendous responsibility when you make a decision that affects the public domain,” said Nick Clegg, vice president of worldwide relations for Meta, during a Washington, D.C., event hosted by up-and-coming media company Semafor. He advised Semafor editor-in-chief Steve Clemons, not to “push your weight around.”
Before January 7, 2023, when the suspension of Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts is set to expire, the choice will be made. Before making a decision, Facebook (Meta Platforms Inc) will speak with experts, Clegg added.
“We feel we have a clear obligation to take action against content on our platform that we believe may cause real-world harm—physical injury.” At the Semafor event, Clegg stated.
What choice will Facebook (Meta Platforms Inc) make?
The day following the violence his followers committed on Capitol Hill to stop the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s election, Facebook and Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ: META) subsidiary Instagram permanently banned Trump. However, the Facebook Oversight Board, which confirmed the suspension in May 2021, stated that it was “inappropriate” to suspend Trump without disclosing the length of the rest.
In response, Clegg wrote in a blog post on June 20, 2021, “Given the circumstances that led to Mr. Trump’s suspension, we think his conduct constituted a grave violation of our rules and merit the harshest penalty allowed under the new enforcement measures.” “Starting on the initial suspension date of January 7 of this year, we are suspending his accounts for two years.”
He continued by adding:
We shall consult specialists to determine whether the risk to the public’s safety has subsided after this time. Clegg stated that we would assess outside variables, such as violent incidents, prohibitions on peaceful assembly, and other civic upheaval indicators.
“If we decide that there is still a significant risk to the public’s safety, we will extend the ban for a predetermined amount of time and keep re-evaluating until that risk has passed,” the statement reads.
What about YouTube and Twitter?
Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook (Meta Platforms Inc) permanently suspended the former president’s accounts. Then he decided to start his social network. Even though Trump is a favorite among Republican voters, Truth Social has been unable to rival the major competitors in the sector. Its intended merger with blank check company Digital World Acquisition (DWAC) to go public is seriously in peril.
Twitter (TWTR) has not announced the suspension, but billionaire Elon Musk had pledged to lift it if he bought the microblogging platform. But there’s a catch: Musk has chosen to renege on his $44 billion promise to buy the forum.
Last year, YouTube (GOOGL) stated that it would only reinstate the account if it found that the danger of misuse was extremely low.
In a March 2021 interview with the Atlantic Council research group, chief executive officer Susan Wojcicki stated, “The channel remains suspended owing to the possibility of incitement to violence.”
Wojcicki stated, “We will switch the account back on. “But it will be when diminished law enforcement in U.S. capitals. If we don’t see various warnings from government agencies, they will signal that it would be safe to switch the channel back on,” the author says.
Trump would greatly benefit from returning to Facebook just over a year before the 2024 presidential race. Because he does not rule out running for president once more, it would provide him access to a bigger platform to spread his thoughts.
Image: Megapixl © PBerko
Author Valerie Remorosa 
