Meta will decide in the coming weeks whether Trump is allowed on Facebook again

Social media company Meta will decide in the coming weeks whether former American president Donald Trump will be allowed back on Facebook. He has not been on the platform for two years. It is the first time that Meta will make such a decision.

Trump on Facebook

Meta had initially closed Trump’s account without an end date, but on the advice of its own Oversight Board, the period was shortened to two years. That term ended this weekend and Meta tells The Washington Post that it will make a decision in the coming weeks. Twitter decided after a poll by new owner Elon Musk that Trump could return to Twitter. He has not reinstated his account and is using his platform Truth Social.

The decision is sensitive, because Trump has declared himself a candidate for the 2024 presidential elections. As a result, Meta would deny a presidential candidate access to its platform if it were to be blocked. Meta closed Trump’s account after his call for an insurrection to block the democratic transfer of power on January 6, 2021. Moreover, on Truth Social, he continues to use his account to attack people who, for example, counted votes in the 2020 election . Such posts could possibly constitute breaking the rules on Facebook.

Meta’s decision may have consequences for policy regarding politicians in other countries and future politicians. Moreover, other tech companies can also look at Meta. YouTube also closed Trump’s account a few years ago.