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After 2 Years of Banning, Trump is Back on YouTube and Facebook. PHOTO/Reuters
WASHINGTON – Former President of the United States (US) Donald Trump post to YouTube and Facebook on Friday (17/3/2023), in exchange for a technology platform that he used to power his political rise until he was terminated following the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Congress by his followers.
Posts on his Facebook page and YouTube channel, entitled “I’M BACK!”, show a video of CNN announcing Trump’s election for president in the 2016 election against Hillary Clinton. It then fades into the ‘Trump 2024’ screen. “Sorry to keep you waiting,” Trump said in the video.
Alphabet Inc’s YouTube restored Trump’s previous channel on Friday. Meta Platforms Inc. had reactivated Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts earlier this year. His Twitter account was reinstated in November by the platform’s new owner Elon Musk, but Trump has not posted anything on Twitter.
Trump cemented his improbable 2016 presidential campaign through his use of social media. Her return gives her access to a major vehicle for political fundraising, allowing her to reach a combined 146 million followers across three major tech platforms when she seeks re-election for president in 2024.
“We are carefully evaluating the continued risk of real-world violence, while balancing the opportunity for voters to hear equally from the main national candidates ahead of the election,” YouTube said in a tweet, referring to its move to reinstate its account.
YouTube banned Trump in 2021 for violating his policy of inciting violence after his supporters stormed the US Capitol as Congress certified Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.
Opponents of Trump’s return point to his messages on the Truth Social platform he founded in late 2021, where he has nearly 5 million followers, as evidence that he still shares the same risks that led to his suspension.
Trump’s return to YouTube and Facebook comes just as the Manhattan State Attorney’s office is considering criminal charges related to hush money payments made to porn stars during Trump’s 2016 campaign, allegations that Trump and his allies argued without evidence of political motivation.
(esn)
