Donald Trump created his own platform, Truth Social, after he was banned by Facebook, Instagram and Twitter following the US Capitol riot in January 2021. AFP
Donald Trump created his own platform, Truth Social, after he was banned by Facebook, Instagram and Twitter following the US Capitol riot in January 2021. AFP
Donald Trump created his own platform, Truth Social, after he was banned by Facebook, Instagram and Twitter following the US Capitol riot in January 2021. AFP
Donald Trump created his own platform, Truth Social, after he was banned by Facebook, Instagram and Twitter following the US Capitol riot in January 2021. AFP

Meta to end restrictions on Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts


Alvin R Cabral
  • English
  • Arabic

Meta Platforms will be ending its restrictions on Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts, in keeping with what it said was its role in informing US voters in the lead-up to November's presidential election.

Accounts belonging to the former president and convicted felon were suspended indefinitely by Meta's social media platforms on January 7, 2021, a day after he encouraged his supporters to storm the US Capitol, resulting in the deaths of five people.

In January 2023, California-based reinstated Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts, but with measures in place to deter repeat offences.

Now, 18 months after that reinstatement, Meta said ending the restrictions on Trump – the presumptive Republican nominee – is based on its “responsibility to allow political expression”.

“We believe that the American people should be able to hear from the nominees for president on the same basis. As a result, former President Trump … will no longer be subject to the heightened suspension penalties,” Nick Clegg, Meta's president of global affairs, wrote in the updated blog.

He added that the restrictions have not had to be deployed, considering that the penalties “were a response to extreme and extraordinary circumstances”.

Meta, however, made it clear that all political candidates remain subject to Facebook and Instagram's community guidelines.

“We will review accounts subject to this protocol on a periodic basis to determine whether heightened suspension penalties for community standards violations remain appropriate,” Mr Clegg said.

“We will make this determination by weighing our responsibility, as outlined by the oversight board,” which was formally launched in October 2020 to police content on the world's biggest social media platform.

Trump is on course for a rematch with Democratic US President Joe Biden, who defeated the billionaire in arguably the most heated election in US history.

The November vote is also shaping up to be incendiary, following a chaotic first presidential debate, in which Mr Biden stumbled at times, raising calls for him to step down from the race.

Trump, meanwhile, is a prolific user of social media, particularly X when it was still known as Twitter, using his channels as his main means of communicating with his supporters.

He has a large following – 34 million on Facebook, 25 million on Instagram and 87.2 million on X, which is the ninth-highest.

The then-Twitter also permanently banned Trump on January 9, 2021, “due to the risk of further incitement of violence”. Elon Musk, who bought the company for $44 billion in October 2022 and eventually renamed it X, reinstated Trump in November 2022 after running a poll among users.

However, Trump had decided not to return to X and has only tweeted once, on August 25, 2023, since the insurrection.

Trump's shutdown from social media drove him to create his own platform, Truth Social, which also has guidelines to weed out misinformation.

It also gives the former president a less hostile base, despite a meagre 4.83 million followers as of 2023, according to data from Statista.

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

North Pole stats

Distance covered: 160km

Temperature: -40°C

Weight of equipment: 45kg

Altitude (metres above sea level): 0

Terrain: Ice rock

South Pole stats

Distance covered: 130km

Temperature: -50°C

Weight of equipment: 50kg

Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300

Terrain: Flat ice
 

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

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Queen

Nicki Minaj

(Young Money/Cash Money)

The specs: 2018 Audi RS5

Price, base: Dh359,200

Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm

Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km

Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
  • Do not drive outside designated lanes
The%C2%A0specs%20
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1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List
James Mustich, Workman

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

HEADLINE HERE
  • I would recommend writing out the text in the body 
  • And then copy into this box
  • It can be as long as you link
  • But I recommend you use the bullet point function (see red square)
  • Or try to keep the word count down
  • Be wary of other embeds lengthy fact boxes could crash into 
  • That's about it
The specs: 2018 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy

Price, base / as tested Dh97,600
Engine 1,745cc Milwaukee-Eight v-twin engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 78hp @ 5,250rpm
Torque 145Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.0L / 100km (estimate)

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

THE BIO

Bio Box

Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul

Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader

Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Favorite food: seafood

Favorite place to travel: Lebanon

Favorite movie: Braveheart

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Power: 268bhp / 536bhp
Torque: 343Nm / 686Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
On sale: Later this year
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Updated: July 31, 2024, 11:13 AM`