Get 40% Off
🤯 This Tech Portfolio is up 29% YTD! Join Now to Get April’s Top PicksGet The Picks – Just 99 USD

'I'm back': Trump returns to YouTube and Facebook after two-year ban

Published 03/17/2023, 10:18 AM
Updated 03/17/2023, 07:42 PM
© Reuters. Former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on education as he holds a campaign rally with supporters, in Davenport, Iowa, U.S. March 13, 2023. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

© Reuters. Former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on education as he holds a campaign rally with supporters, in Davenport, Iowa, U.S. March 13, 2023. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

(Reuters) -Former U.S. President Donald Trump posted to YouTube and Facebook on Friday, in a return to the tech platforms he used to power his political rise until he was cut off following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on Congress by his followers.

The posts on his Facebook page and YouTube channel, which were titled "I'M BACK!," show a CNN video announcing Trump's election as president in the 2016 race against Hillary Clinton. It then fades to a 'Trump 2024' screen.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Trump says in the video.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Inc's YouTube restored Trump's channel earlier on Friday. Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) had reinstated Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts earlier this year.

His Twitter account was reinstated in November by the platform's new owner Elon Musk but Trump has yet to post on Twitter.

Trump powered his improbable 2016 presidential campaign through his use of social media. His return gives him access to key vehicles for political fundraising, allowing him to reach a combined 146 million followers across three major tech platforms as he makes another run for the presidency in 2024.

"We carefully evaluated the continued risk of real-world violence, while balancing the chance for voters to hear equally from major national candidates in the run up to an election," YouTube said in a tweet, referring to its move to restore his account.

Trump's campaign team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

His campaign spokesman told Fox News Digital in January that being back on Facebook "will be an important tool for the 2024 campaign to reach voters."

The former president founded his own social media platform called Truth Social in late 2021, which he relied on to communicate with supporters during his ban from Twitter and Meta.

YouTube banned Trump in 2021 for violating its policy against inciting violence after his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol as Congress was certifying Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election.

Opponents of Trump's return point to his messages on Truth Social, where he has nearly 5 million followers, as evidence that he still poses the same risk that led to his suspensions.

© Reuters. Former U.S. President Donald Trump's YouTube account is seen on a mobile phone and laptop computer after being restored by Google and its parent company Alphabet Inc, as Google lifted a more than two-year suspension imposed on Trump after the deadly January 6, 2021 Capitol Hill riot, in Washington, U.S. March 17, 2023.   REUTERS/Jim Bourg

Trump's return to YouTube and Facebook is happening just as the Manhattan District Attorney's office is considering criminal charges related to hush-money payments made to a porn star during Trump's 2016 campaign, charges that Trump and his allies are arguing without evidence are politically motivated.

Trump also faces a $250 million civil fraud lawsuit brought by New York state, alleging a decade-long scheme to manipulate more than 200 asset valuations and Trump's net worth to win better terms from banks and insurers. Trump has called the suit a witch hunt.

Latest comments

now go away
I don’t care who is “allowed” back on you don’t get a second chance on me……suckers
POS
Gross
i thought youtube and fb were 'woke' why would traitor trump want to be on there?
Giving the id io t his maga phone back? 😀
all Banks collapse, seems they want Trump back
so does everyone with a brain. Things were actually good for Americans pre pandemic
ya then Trump botched the pandemic and ended up losing jobs during his term!
The Twitter files make it obvious all the platforms were silencing him as well as other conservatives in favour of the left wing Democrats, not because of inciting. The left has been blatantly inciting on the platforms without being silenced. The tech companies have set a bad precedent which could now be used against anyone’s views.
What is YouTube?
Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.