The former president of the United States, Donald Trump, regained access to social media and video-sharing services. He was cut off during the Jan 6 attack on Congress by his supporters.
His Facebook and YouTube videos titled “I’M BACK!” feature a video proclaiming Trump the 2016 presidential election victory over Clinton. The screen turns to an image that reads “Trump 2024.”
Donald Trump apologized for keeping everyone waiting.
Trump posted on the YouTube channel in the early hours of Friday. Trump’s social media pages on Facebook and Instagram were reinstated earlier this year by Meta Platforms.
Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter, revived Trump’s account in November. However, the president has yet to post a tweet.
Social media was the driving force behind Trump’s unexpectedly successful 2016 presidential campaign. As he prepares to run for president again in 2024, his return grants him access to crucial political finance vehicles. This will enable him to reach 146 million followers across three major online platforms.
YouTube stated that it chose to reinstate his account after “carefully weighing the continuing threat of real-world violence. Balancing the public’s ability to hear from all major national candidates before to an election.
He built his own social media
In order to continue connecting with his admirers after being banned from Twitter and Meta in late 2021, the former president built his own social media network called Truth Social.
In 2021, Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol after Congress confirmed Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election. YouTube banned him for violating its policy against inciting violence.
Others opposed to Trump’s return are using his words on Truth Social, where he has around 5 million followers, as evidence that he still poses the same risk that led to his bans.
Donald Trump’s return to social media platforms such as YouTube and Facebook coincides with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office considering criminal charges related to hush-money payments made to a porn star during Trump’s 2016 campaign, charges that Trump and his allies claim are politically motivated but lack evidence.
The state of New York has filed a $250 million civil fraud case against Trump, alleging a decade-long scheme to inflate the value of more than 200 of his properties and his net worth in order to negotiate advantageous terms with banks and insurers.
