After a more than two-year ban following the deadly Capitol Hill brawl on Jan. 6, 2021, Google Inc.-owned YouTube eased restrictions on former U.S. President Donald Trump’s channel on Tuesday.
Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) restored Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts earlier this year, while new owner Elon Musk restored his Twitter account in November.
“We carefully examined the continuous potential of real-world violence, while balancing the possibility for voters to hear fairly from key national contenders before an election.” YouTube tweeted the move.
As his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol as Congress certified Joe Biden’s presidential victory, the video-streaming site banned Trump in 2021 for encouraging violence.
Trump, who will run again in 2024, might benefit from social media’s voter outreach and fundraising. Trump has 2.6 million YouTube subscribers, 34 million Facebook followers, and 23 million Instagram followers.
The former president has not posted on Meta-owned platforms, including Twitter. Instead, he has kept to his Truth Social network, which he created in late 2021 and has about 5 million followers.
Opponents of Trump’s return say his Truth Social posts show he still poses the same risk that forced social media sites to remove him.
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