Ajit Karn
Washington: Friday, more than two years after he was banished over the US Capitol insurrection, former president Donald Trump published his first posts on his reinstated Facebook and YouTube accounts.
“I’M BACK,” Trump proclaimed alongside a 12-second video excerpt that appeared to show him delivering his victory speech after winning the 2016 presidential election, as he exclaimed: “Sorry to keep you waiting — complicated business.
The 76-year-old Republican presidential candidate has been unable to post any content for his 34 million Facebook followers and 2.6 million YouTube subscribers.
The platforms disqualified Trump days after the insurrection on January 6, 2021, when a mob of his supporters invaded the US Capitol in an attempt to prevent the certification of his election loss to Joe Biden.
He was punished for uploading content that the platforms claimed incited unrest, with YouTube announcing his reinstatement two months after Facebook unlocked his account.
The former reality TV star was impeached for inciting the unrest after weeks of erroneously alleging that the presidential election was stolen from him.
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YouTube said in a statement, “As of today, the Donald J. Trump channel is no longer restricted and can upload new content.”
“We carefully weighed the ongoing risk of real-world violence against the opportunity for voters to hear from all major national candidates prior to an election.”
The social networking behemoth Meta declared in January that it would reinstate Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts with “new restrictions.”
His 87 million-follower Twitter account was also suspended after the incident, forcing him to communicate via Truth Social, which has fewer than five million followers.
Elon Musk, the new proprietor of Twitter, reinstated Donald Trump last November, days after he announced a new presidential bid, but he has yet to post.
The American Civil Liberties Union, which has filed over 400 lawsuits against Trump, praised Meta’s decision.
“Like it or not, President Trump is one of the country’s most prominent political figures, and the public is eager to hear his speech,” executive director Anthony Romero said in a statement.
In fact, some of Trump’s most objectionable social media posts became crucial evidence in litigation brought against him and his administration.
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However, advocacy organisations such as Media Matters for America are adamantly opposed to Trump utilising the social networking reach of the Big Tech titans.
Trump’s 2016 victory was partially attributed to his use of social media and his vast digital reach.
In December, a congressional committee recommended that he be prosecuted for his role in the assault on the US Capitol.
