'I'm Back', Writes Donald Trump as His First Facebook Post After Two-Year Ban

Former US President Donald Trump wrote his first Facebook post on Friday after being banned from social media platforms for two years.

"I'M BACK," Trump posted along with a 12-second video which seems to be his victory speech after winning the 2016 election and also tried to put out his campaign for the 2024 election in that video.

After the 2016 video, Trump put his famous slogan "Make America Great Again" or MAGA, which came to be popular during his last successful presidential campaign.

Earlier, in February, Meta restored Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts. Andy Stone, policy communications director at Meta, has confirmed the development, NBC News reported.

The reinstatement had been expected after Facebook's president of global affairs Nick Clegg in January said that the suspension will be lifted, as per the news report. Trump's accounts on Facebook and Instagram were suspended by Meta after January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

The ban was announced initially as an indefinite ban that included the last two weeks of his presidency, as per the NBC News report. The ban on Trump's account was later formally extended for two years.

At the time of writing this news article, Trump has not shared any new posts on his Facebook or Instagram accounts. His last Instagram post, dated January 6, 2021, promoted the 'Save America' march where he would encourage his supporters to march on the Capitol.

Sharing the post on Instagram, Trump captioned it as, "I will be speaking at the SAVE AMERICA Rally tomorrow on the Ellipse at 11 AM ET (8:30 PM IST). Arrive early - door open at 7 AM ET (4:30 PM IST). Big Crowds!"

Trump's last post on Facebook before the suspension called for people to leave the Capitol. In the post on Facebook, Trump stated, "I am asking for everyone at the US Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order -- respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!"

Meanwhile, on Friday, YouTube restored Trump's account.

Taking to Twitter, a Youtube insider said, "Starting today, the Donald John Trump channel is no longer restricted and can upload new content. 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."

"This channel will continue to be subject to our policies, just like any other channel on YouTube," YouTube added.

© Thomson Reuters 2023