Former US President Donald Trump is returning to one of the major online platforms after months of reluctance. “I’m back!” Trump wrote on Facebook Friday in a short video clip showing him winning the 2016 election. The largest online network in the world had him back on the platform at the end of January – more than two years after the violent storming of the US Capitol by his supporters. Trump initially preferred to continue mobilizing his base through his own Twitter copy Truth Social.
Also on Friday, he initially left it on Facebook with the scant sign of life, while on Truth Social he spread calls for donations and photos of a demonstration by his supporters at Trump Tower in New York, among other things.
Trump wants to run as the Republican nominee in the 2024 presidential election and must win the party’s internal primaries to do so. More online reach would suit him well. He has nearly five million subscribers on Truth Social and 34 million on Facebook.
Trump was banned from major online platforms near the end of his term after his supporters stormed the US House of Representatives in Washington on January 6, 2021. Before the unprecedented events, he had goaded his supporters with the baseless claim that he had been cheated in the 2020 presidential election. In his online posts before and after the Capitol attack, he openly expressed sympathy for the rioters. The platform operators feared that if Trump is not banned, there could be renewed violence.
Kanye and Trump
Trump has now regained access to all major online services, where he still has millions of followers. The YouTube video platform lifted restrictions on Trump’s account on Friday. His Twitter account was reactivated in the fall at the behest of new owner Elon Musk. However, the last tweet there so far is from January 2021. Before and during his tenure in the White House, Twitter was Trump’s main mouthpiece, where he had more than 80 million followers before the ban and attracted worldwide attention with his posts .
However, the Facebook group Meta and the video platform YouTube emphasize that the same rules apply to Trump’s account as to others. Meta was said in January that violations threatened him with tougher penalties for repeat offenders — he could face a one-month to two-year ban. At Truth Social, Trump continues to make statements that would violate Meta’s rules against insults, among other things.
The Facebook group initially banned Trump until further notice. But Meta’s independent oversight body, which can review content and account decisions, eventually concluded that an indefinite ban was not covered by the platform’s rules. It decided that Trump’s accounts on Facebook and Instagram could only be blocked for two years at first – and then had to be reassessed. (aeg/sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
