Meta announced on Friday that it would be removing restrictions placed on former President Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts ahead of the Republican National Convention next week. The decision was made to ensure that Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, would have equal standing with Democrat President Joe Biden.
The company stated that in assessing their responsibility to allow political expression, they 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, as the nominee of the Republican Party, will no longer be subject to the heightened suspension penalties.
Trump's accounts on both Facebook and Instagram were reinstated in early 2023, following a two-year ban in the wake of the January 6, 2021, insurrection. Meta had initially placed additional guardrails on Trump's accounts to deter repeat offenses.
According to a blog post from Meta in January 2023, if Mr. Trump were to post further violating content, the content would be removed, and he would face suspension for a period ranging from one month to two years, depending on the severity of the violation.
Meta confirmed on Friday that the penalties placed on Trump's accounts have not had to be deployed, indicating that there have been no further violations warranting such actions.
