Maisie Lloyd
I'm passionate about recording the world, but most of all driven by creativity and collaborative environments. My experience revolves around the production of digital content, pertaining to graphic design, writing copy, and video and audio content.
On Friday the 12th of July Meta released a statement confirming Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts will no longer be restricted. The change is made as we lead up to the US election. Trump’s accounts were suspended in January 2021 after being suspected of inciting violence at a ‘Save America’ rally.
Meta’s initial response was to suspend Trump’s accounts to mitigate any potential spread of misinformation, as well as prevent any more calls to violence.
Meta has now stated: “With the party conventions taking place shortly, including the Republican convention next week, the candidates for President of the United States will soon be formally nominated. In assessing our responsibility to allow political expression, we believe that the American people should be able to hear from the nominees for President on the same basis. As a result, former President Trump, as the nominee of the Republican Party, will no longer be subject to the heightened suspension penalties. In reaching this conclusion, we also considered that these penalties were a response to extreme and extraordinary circumstances and have not had to be deployed. All US Presidential candidates remain subject to the same Community Standards as all Facebook and Instagram users, including those policies designed to prevent hate speech and incitement to violence.”
Why reinstate Trump’s Meta accounts?
Meta initially allowed Trump back onto Facebook and Instagram in January of 2023 with restrictions and monitoring of the accounts. Meta will no longer be observing the accounts for guideline compliance, essentially making his account like typical users.
The shift by Meta is made to ensure Trump has an equal and fair opportunity to represent himself, his political expression, and his campaign. It will also ensure audiences can access content from all political candidates.
Meta will likely see financial benefits as a result of the change as more campaign money is funnelled into social media advertising. In 2019 alone, the Trump administration spent a staggering $20 million alone.
Since the original suspension in 2021, Trump launched his social platform known as Truth Social (2022). Truth Social enacts as a podium and safe space for Trump to share his political opinions, and as such we can expect him to continue to use this as his primary account. What may differ for this campaign is the way Meta’s platforms are utilised. Historically Trump utilised his social accounts to post divisive and reactive content, to prompt discussion surrounding key issues in America. Like in previous years, his team will likely incorporate Facebook and Instagram ads into their arsenal for this campaign.
