Two years and change after inciting an insurrection and showing no remorse or sympathy for the deaths and injuries of Capitol Police personnel, former president Donald Trump is being allowed back on Facebook and Instagram. But the big question: Will he be invited into the Metaverse!!?!
The time has come to let the only declared candidate for the presidency in 2024 back on Facebook to invent his own reality and take his followers along for the ride once more. Meta announced Wednesday that the suspension of Trump, once framed as permanent, has expired, and he'll be allowed back on Instagram and Facebook "in the coming weeks."
The decision, which was expected, comes a week after Trump's team lobbied the company to reinstate him. Trump was already allowed back on Elon Musk's Twitter in November, but he's yet to unleash his first tweet — and some have surmised he may have some contractual obligation to keep posting his "Truths" on Truth Social.
Nick Clegg, the former UK politico and Meta's president of global affairs, posted the announcement about Trump's reinstatement, saying that, two Januarys ago, "The suspension was an extraordinary decision taken in extraordinary circumstances."
"The normal state of affairs is that the public should be able to hear from a former President of the United States, and a declared candidate for that office again, on our platforms," Clegg writes.
But! As the company foreshadowed when the decision was made to extend the suspension only two years — under guidance from their independent Oversight Board — Trump's account will be under increased scrutiny, and he could be suspended again at any time for violating the platform's rules. This is in sharp contrast to CEO Mark Zuckerberg's stance that Trump should be able to say whatever the fuck he pleased during the first few years of his presidency, as a political figure.
Per Clegg:
To assess whether the serious risk to public safety that existed in January 2021 has sufficiently receded, we have evaluated the current environment according to our Crisis Policy Protocol, which included looking at the conduct of the US 2022 midterm elections, and expert assessments on the current security environment. Our determination is that the risk has sufficiently receded, and that we should therefore adhere to the two-year timeline we set out.
There's no discussion about what might justify more serious punishment, in the event of future violations.
Still, Clegg says, "In the event that Mr. Trump posts further violating content, the content will be removed and he will be suspended for between one month and two years, depending on the severity of the violation."
Clegg adds that certain content from Trump, if it violates "the letter" of Facebook's policies, might remain up as there is "public interest in knowing that Mr. Trump made the statement that outweighs any potential harm."
Trump has already responded to his reinstatement on Truth Social saying, "Such a thing should never again happen to a sitting president, or anybody else who is not deserving of retribution."
Can't wait for Round 2 of this democracy-endangering shitshow.
Previously: Trump Now Wants Facebook to Make Good On Its Promise to Reinstate His Account After a Two-Year Ban