His Facebook account was suspended a day after a mob of Donald Trump supporters attacked the US Capitol.
Washington:
Former US President Donald Trump has urged Facebook to restore his account two years after it was deactivated, his aides said on Wednesday, as he prepares for a third bid for the White House.
The social media giant banned Trump a day after the January 6, 2021 riot, when a mob of his supporters stormed the US Capitol in Washington to try to block the certification of his election defeat to Joe Biden.
The former reality TV star falsely claimed for weeks that the presidential election was stolen from her and was later impeached for inciting a riot.
Trump’s lawyer Scott Gast said in a letter to Facebook parent company Meta, obtained by AFP, that the ban had “dramatically distorted and inhibited public discourse.”
He asked for a meeting to discuss Trump’s “early reinstatement to the platform” where he had 34 million followers, arguing that his status as a leading contender for the Republican nomination in 2024 justified ending the ban. Appointed.
Gast wrote, “We also believe that a continuing ban would be basically … a deliberate attempt by a private company to silence Mr. Trump’s political voice.”
A US Congressional committee recommended in December that Trump be prosecuted for his role in the Capitol attack.
His Twitter account, which has 88 million followers, was also blocked after the riot, leaving the 76-year-old Republican to communicate through his own platform, Truth Social, where he has fewer than five million followers. Huh.
California-based Facebook had said it would review Trump’s ban on January 7 after two years have passed.
“We will announce a decision in the coming weeks in line with the process we have set out.” the company told AFP on Wednesday.
Trump’s surprise victory in 2016 was attributed to his social media advantage and his vast digital reach.
New Twitter owner Elon Musk reinstated Trump’s account last November, after the tycoon announced his decision to run for another term in the White House. Have to post it now.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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