Meta Lifts Trump's Facebook, Instagram Curbs

Facts

• Meta has lifted penalties and restrictions placed on former US Pres. Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts in 2021 following the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riots.¹
• The measure was taken to ensure that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee has a level playing field with Democratic contender Pres. Joe Biden.²
• After blocking him for two years, Meta reinstated Trump on its social media platforms last January. However, additional guardrails were placed on his accounts to deter repeat offenses.³
• In deciding to roll back those guardrails, Meta said, 'American people should be able to hear from the nominees for president on the same basis.'⁴
• In January 2021, Trump's account on X (formerly Twitter) was suspended but restored in November 2022 after Elon Musk bought it and held a users' poll.⁵
• Though he was reinstated on YouTube last March, Trump remains barred from Snapchat. In 2022, the former President set up Truth Social — his own social media site.⁶

Sources: ¹CNBC, ²CNN, ³Ft, ⁴Reuters, ⁵CBS and ⁶Guardian.

Narratives

• Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by Federalist. Mainstream social media platforms unfairly censored Donald Trump and other conservative voices by disproportionately targeting conservative content while allowing inflammatory statements from the left to go unchecked. Meta and X had enforced their policies against spreading misleading information; unfortunately, they were maliciously used to sabotage his campaign.
• Anti-Trump narrative, as provided by CNN. Allowing Donald Trump to run unchecked on Facebook and Instagram is risky due to his history of inciting violence. Evidence shows Trump's social media activity is linked to real-world hatred — his conspiracy theories on Truth Social are prime exhibits. Allowing Trump to spread his inflammatory rhetoric on mainstream platforms risks inciting further violence.

Predictions