Former US President Donald Trump urged Facebook to reactivate his account on the platform nearly two years after it was closed, aides said Wednesday, as he prepares to launch his campaign for the White House for the third time.
Blue Site blocked Trump’s account the day after the January 6, 2021 insurrection, when a mob of his supporters tried to stop Joe Biden’s inauguration by storming the Capitol in Washington, reports Al-Rai daily quoting AFP.
The former reality TV star and real estate mogul spent weeks promoting allegations that the presidential election was stolen from him, and later went on trial for inciting riots.
Trump’s lawyer, Scott Gast, said in a letter to Facebook owner Meta, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, that the ban had “dramatically distorted and stifled public discourse.”
Gast requested a meeting to discuss Trump’s “immediate return to the platform” of his 34 million followers, on the grounds that his status as a major contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination justifies ending the ban.
“We also believe that the ongoing ban is a deliberate effort by a private company to silence Mr. Trump’s political voice,” Gast wrote.
Last December, a US Congressional committee recommended that Trump be prosecuted for his role in the Capitol attack.
Trump’s Twitter account, which has 88 million followers, was also banned immediately after the riots, prompting the 76-year-old Republican to reach out to his supporters on his own platform, Truth Social, where he has fewer than five million followers.
California-based Facebook said it would review the decision to ban Trump, adding to AFP on Wednesday: “We will announce our decision in the coming weeks in line with the process we’ve outlined.”
Trump’s surprising victory in 2016 was partly thanks to his massive social media reach.
The new owner of Twitter, Elon Musk, reactivated Trump’s account on the platform last November, days after the former president announced his decision to run for another presidential term, but he has not posted any tweets yet.
Read Today's News TODAY... on our Telegram Channel click here to join and receive all the latest updates t.me/thetimeskuwait
