Meta lifts Donald Trump's Facebook, Instagram restrictions

SAN FRANCISCO -- Meta said Friday the company is removing any previously imposed penalties and restrictions on former US President Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts.

A Meta spokesperson said the update was "simply bringing presumptive GOP nominee Trump to parity with President (Joe) Biden."

The company first took action against Trump's social media accounts in 2021, suspending his accounts for two years, shortly after the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington, D.C.

In January 2023, Meta said it would reinstate Trump on its platform, and he regained access to his accounts the following month but was still subject to penalties and restrictions.

Following Meta's latest announcement, if Trump were to violate the company's community guidelines, he would face a much shorter possible suspension that could last only a few days.

Meta's president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, wrote in a blog post that the original suspension and penalties "were a response to extreme and extraordinary circumstances, and have not had to be deployed."

"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," Clegg wrote. "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."