Facebook and Instagram roll back restrictions on Trump ahead of GOP convention

Heading into next week’s GOP convention, Meta said it would lift restrictions it placed on former President Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts as he makes another run for the White House.

The social media giant said the change would allow Americans to hear “from political candidates on our platforms.”

Trump’s accounts were reinstated in January 2023 but have been subject to greater scrutiny and stricter penalties than other users. Under the previous terms, should he violate the company’s rules, even a small infraction could limit or even lead to a suspension of his account during the last months before the presidential election.

Meta will continue to limit posts that violate company rules such as references to QAnon.

"With the party conventions taking place shortly, including the Republican convention next week, the candidates for President of the United States will soon be formally nominated. In assessing our 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,” Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, said in a blog post. “As a result, former President Trump, as the nominee of the Republican Party, will no longer be subject to the heightened suspension penalties.”

The Biden campaign criticized Meta's decision, saying it endangers American safety and democracy.

“Donald Trump relied on these social media platforms to send a violent mob to the Capitol on Jan. 6, where they tried to overturn an election he lost fair and square," Biden-Harris 2024 Spokesperson Charles Kretchmer Lutvak said in a statement. "Restoring his access is like handing your car keys to someone you know will drive your car into a crowd and off a cliff."

Facebook and Instagram were among the major social media platforms that barred Trump shortly after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol over fears that his posts would incite further violence.

At the time Meta said the ban was indefinite. After its outside board weighed in, the company said the ban would last two years.

In 2016 and in 2020, Trump tapped Facebook to energize his base and raise campaign cash. During this campaign cycle, Trump has relied almost exclusively on Truth Social.

Meta and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg have been a target of Trump's for years. In March, Trump called Facebook an "enemy of the people." He also refers to Zuckerberg as "Zuckerbucks."

Tuesday, Trump posted on his social network Truth Social: "All I can say is that if I’m elected President, we will pursue Election Fraudsters at levels never seen before, and they will be sent to prison for long periods of time. We already know who you are. DON’T DO IT! ZUCKERBUCKS, be careful!"