Meta ends restrictions on Trump's Facebook, Instagram accounts ahead of GOP convention

2025-01-12 12:59:45 source:lotradecoin leaderboard category:Scams

Restrictions that were placed on the Facebook and Instagram accounts of former President Donald Trump 17 months ago are being lifted, the platforms' parent company Meta announced Friday.

In a blog post Friday afternoon, Meta said that the decision was made to remove the restrictions ahead of the Republican National Convention, which begins Monday in Milwaukee. Trump is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. 

"The American people should be able to hear from the nominees for President on the same basis," Nick Clegg, Meta president of global affairs, wrote. "As a result, former President Trump, as the nominee of the Republican Party, will no longer be subject to the heightened suspension penalties."

In the days immediately after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection, Trump's accounts were suspended indefinitely when the company determined that his posts had potentially fueled and encouraged the violence that took place that day. In June 2021, Meta, which at the time went by the name Facebook, issued Trump a two-year suspension on the accounts dating back to that January.

His accounts were reactivated in February 2023, but with the caveat that Meta would issue "heightened penalties for repeat offenses."

On Friday, Meta lifted the threat of those penalties.

"In reaching this conclusion, we also considered that these penalties were a response to extreme and extraordinary circumstances, and have not had to be deployed," Clegg said Friday. "All U.S. Presidential candidates remain subject to the same Community Standards as all Facebook and Instagram users, including those policies designed to prevent hate speech and incitement to violence."

Trump has a combined 59 million followers on Facebook and Instagram. Trump's X account, then known as Twitter, was also suspended in January 2021. It was reinstated in November 2022 by new owner Elon Musk after he posted a poll asking users whether to do so.

Musadiq Bidar and Jo Ling Kent contributed to this report. 

    In:
  • Donald Trump
Faris Tanyos

Faris Tanyos is a news editor for CBSNews.com, where he writes and edits stories and tracks breaking news. He previously worked as a digital news producer at several local news stations up and down the West Coast.

More:Scams

Recommend

New Jersey targets plastic packaging that fills landfills and pollutes

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey is aiming to drastically reduce the amount of packaging material — p

An appeals court dismisses charges against a Michigan election worker who downloaded a voter list

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — An appeals court dismissed charges against a Michigan election worker who

Third person dies after a Connecticut fire that also killed a baby and has been labeled a crime

WALLINGFORD, Conn. (AP) — Police in Connecticut say a third person has died as the result of a fire