Former President Donald Trump's accounts will be banned for two years, Facebook announced Friday. The suspension started in January was extended after a determination that Trump incited violence ahead of the fatal Capitol insurgency.
The ban will end in early 2023, and Trump's accounts can resume operations. According to NZ Herald, Facebook's vice president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, wrote in a blog post, "Experts will be consulted to determine if the threat to public safety has subsided. External considerations, such as acts of violence, ban on peaceful assembly, and other indicators of social disturbance, will be assessed."
Trump calls Facebook's suspension an insult
Donald Trump said Facebook's action is an insult. Politicians have turned to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to get their messages out and earn small-dollar donations. The former president might be at a severe disadvantage from other candidates if he does not have the megaphone of Twitter and the targeted fundraising pitches that his campaign mastered on Facebook.
However, the blog he created with great fanfare earlier this year was shut down after less than a month, indicating how tough his present circumstances are for him. Trump's ban on Facebook effectively implies that his account is inactive.
Others can read and comment on previous postings, but Trump and other account administrators are unable to make new entries. On the other hand, he has been permanently banned from Twitter, with no record of his account remaining.
Mark Zuckerberg requests dinner with Trump at White House
Trump added jokingly in a statement that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg used to seek dinners at the White House. According to the former president, there would be no more of those in the future.
"At his request, there will be no more dinners with Mark Zuckerberg and his wife the next time I'm at the White House. It'll be all about business," Trump said, as per The Sun.
Fans are hopeful that Trump's remark of the "next time" he will be in the White House meant he intends to seek reelection in 2024, as he has hinted at it on multiple occasions. His remark comes after an earlier statement in which he chastised Facebook for extending his suspension until 2023.
Facebook announced they’re suspending Donald Trump for two years.
— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) June 4, 2021
When will they be suspending the left wing groups that actually promoted violence all last summer?
RT if you agree → Time for big changes at Big Tech.
Trump's long-time supporters seemed to agree. "Big changes at Big Tech," according to House Republican Whip Steve Scalise. Meanwhile, Facebook announced that Trump's account will be resurrected in January 2023, after experts determine if the risk to public safety has subsided.
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The Facebook suspension will limit Trump's funding for Republican candidates
The extended suspension is putting a stop to his ability to raise donations for any Republicans he backs in the 2022 midterm elections via social media. Trump will be reinstated on January 7, 2023, ahead of the 2024 presidential race but not in time for the midterm elections, according to the company.
Since the day of the tragic riot at the Capitol on January 6, Trump has remained off the platform. Bret Jacobson, president of conservative digital advocacy group Red Edge, said, Republican candidates, will have to become creative in their fundraising efforts rather than depending on Trump's social media skill.
Per USA Today, Trump has turned to tweet-like one-liner statements and fundraising emails to get his message out after being banned from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, while networks like One America News Network have carried his torch. Trump previously had a website where he issued written remarks, but it was shut down this week due to low viewership.
The former president may struggle to successfully transmit his message to a broad audience without a presence on popular social media networks, which was a significant aspect in his political rise and election to the presidency the last time around. Trump was more recognized for his Twitter activities, but he utilized Facebook to raise money and communicate his message for the 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns.
Related Article: Trump to Return to Social Media With 'Own Platform' in 2-3 months
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