Former US President Donald Trump was suspended from social media platform Facebook in January this year after he made comments about a riot at the US Capitol. Now, the company has announced the ban will last for two years, after which a reevaluation will take place.
This means that Trump will also not be able to access Instagram, and competitor platform Twitter has already banned him indefinitely.
Come January 2023, Facebook will decide “whether the risk to public safety has receded,” the New York Times reports.
“Given the gravity of the circumstances that led to Mr. Trump’s suspension, we believe his actions constituted a severe violation of our rules which merit the highest penalty available under the new enforcement protocols,” Nick Clegg, the vice president of global affairs at Facebook, wrote in a company blog post.
Trump strongly pushed back against the ban, saying it is an “insult” to his voters and claiming that the 2020 presidential election was rigged, according to CNBC.
“They shouldn’t be allowed to get away with this censoring and silencing, and ultimately, we will win,” Trump said. “Our Country can’t take this abuse anymore!”
What did Trump post to get him banned?
A large mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6 trying to prevent the certification of President Joe Biden winning the election.
Five people died during the violent riot. Trump then took to Facebook and Instagram in reaction, telling his supporters to go home, but not without adding the following: “We love you, you’re very special.”
This was the straw that broke the camel’s back after Trump used the platform for years to post, among other things, fake news about COVID-19 and slinging racial slurs, including trying to ban Muslims from entering the US. Facebook refused to take down his posts, citing the “newsworthiness” of the content.
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