Restrictions placed on the Facebook and Instagram accounts of former President Donald Trump 17 months ago are being lifted, Meta, the parent company of both platforms, announced on Friday.
In a blog post on Friday afternoon, Meta stated 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,” wrote Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs. As a result, former President Trump, as the nominee of the Republican Party, will no longer be subject to the heightened suspension penalties.
In an email to CBS News, Meta spokesperson Nkechi Nneji explained that the company was “simply bringing presumptive GOP nominee Trump to parity with President Biden.”
Trump’s accounts were suspended indefinitely in the days following the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. The company determined that his posts had potentially fueled and encouraged the violence that occurred that day. In June 2021, Meta, then known as Facebook, issued Trump a two-year suspension on the accounts, retroactive to January 2021.
Trump’s accounts were reactivated in February 2023, with the caveat that Meta would issue “heightened penalties for repeat offenses.”
