The Facebook ban refers to the suspension of former US President Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts following the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Facebook initially banned Trump indefinitely, but in June 2021, they announced the ban would last for 2 years from the initial date of the suspension and be reevaluated at that time.
When did the Facebook ban on Trump start?
The Facebook ban on Trump started on January 7, 2021, the day after Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol building in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election results. Following the violence, Facebook determined Trump had violated their policies against inciting violence and indefinitely suspended his account for at least the remainder of his term in office, which at that point was two weeks.
The initial indefinite ban
When first announcing the ban on January 7, 2021, Facebook did not provide a specific timeframe or date for when they would lift the suspension. Their statement said Trump would be blocked “indefinitely” and at least through the end of his term as president on January 20, 2021. The open-ended nature of the initial ban led many to speculate how long Trump’s suspension could last, ranging from a few months to many years or even permanently.
2-year ban announced in June 2021
In June 2021, Facebook provided more clarity on the timeline for Trump’s suspension. On June 4, 2021, Facebook announced Trump’s accounts would be suspended for 2 years from the initial date they were disabled on January 7, 2021. This meant the earliest Trump could be reinstated on Facebook and Instagram would be January 7, 2023. After the 2-year ban is complete, Facebook stated they would assess the risk to public safety and make a determination on whether to lift the suspension or extend it further.
Why was Trump banned from Facebook?
Trump was banned from Facebook over his actions during the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol. The storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters sought to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. In the weeks leading up to January 6, Trump had repeatedly made false claims that widespread voter fraud caused him to lose the election, despite no evidence to support his claims.
Facebook’s rationale
In banning Trump, Facebook determined his posts about the election and protests on January 6 violated their policies against praising or inciting violence. Facebook stated Trump’s comments and posts during this time “severely violated” their rules by promoting violence and failing to condemn the actions of his supporters at the Capitol. They determined the risks were too high to allow him to continue using their platforms following the events of January 6.
Trump’s use of social media on January 6
On the day of January 6 itself, Trump posted several messages on social media as the rioting was underway. On Facebook that day, he called the protesters “great patriots” and said they would not let an election victory be stolen. On Twitter, he further told protesters that “You will never take back our country with weakness.” Facebook determined these statements violated their policies by praising the violent actions of his supporters at the Capitol that day.
How has Trump responded to the Facebook ban?
Trump has strongly criticized Facebook’s decision to ban him from their platforms. He has characterized the ban as an assault on his right to free speech and accused Facebook of censoring conservative voices on their sites. Trump remains barred from Facebook while other suspended political figures like former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro have been reinstated since 2021.
Trump’s criticisms of “big tech” companies
Since being banned from Facebook and Twitter, Trump has frequently railed against the large technology companies through statements from his political action committee. He has accused them of having too much power and called for government reforms and antitrust actions to be taken against companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Google. Trump believes the platforms are biased against conservatives.
Launch of Truth Social
Partly in response to his frustrations with being banned from mainstream social media, Trump announced plans in October 2021 to launch his own social media platform called Truth Social. The platform was billed as a free-speech alternative to sites like Facebook and Twitter with minimal content moderation. Truth Social launched in February 2022, providing Trump with his own direct channel for communicating with supporters outside the reach of platforms like Facebook where he remains banned.
What are the implications of Trump’s Facebook ban?
Trump’s suspension from Facebook holds important implications for how social media companies address content moderation, especially from political leaders. The extended ban represents a significant application of Facebook’s rules, even for a former president and major public figure like Trump.
Debate over banning political leaders
Facebook’s move has sparked debate over whether political leaders should be subject to the same content rules as regular users on social media platforms. Critics argue elected officials like Trump should be given more leeway in what they can post, even if it violates normal policies, because blocking them raises difficult questions around censorship and limiting speech. Others counter that normalizing harmful speech from politicians can be dangerous.
Pressure on other companies
Facebook’s decision put pressure on other major social media companies like Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok to also take action against Trump’s accounts spreading misinformation about the election and inciting the Capitol riots. These platforms all imposed some form of temporary or permanent suspension on Trump following Facebook’s lead.
Future decisions regarding Trump’s access
The open-ended length of the ban also highlighted the gatekeeping power and responsibility held by Facebook and other social platforms. Their decisions regarding if or when to reinstate Trump’s account access will have important ramifications for the public sphere and carry political implications heading into the 2024 presidential election cycle if Trump chooses to run again.
Could the ban be lifted earlier?
While Facebook set the ban length at 2 years in June 2021, there remain scenarios where they could potentially lift it earlier. However, Facebook has stated they have no plans to end the suspension before January 7, 2023 at the earliest.
Change in Facebook policies
Facebook could revise their policies around what content is and isn’t allowed in a way that would allow them to reinstate Trump’s account sooner. But Nick Clegg, Facebook’s VP of Global Affairs, stated when announcing the 2-year ban that their policies would not be amended for the sake of reinstating Trump any earlier than planned.
Shift in Facebook’s risk calculus
Facebook may determine the public safety risks associated with Trump’s reinstatement have sufficiently subsided to warrant lifting the ban earlier than originally stated. But they have not indicated any timeline for reevaluating the risks prior to the 2-year mark.
Trump deleting violating posts
Facebook has left open the possibility that if Trump were to delete the posts from January 6, 2021 that violated their policies, he could have his account access restored sooner. But Trump has shown no indication he plans to take that step.
Could the ban be extended beyond 2 years?
While January 7, 2023 is the earliest return date set by Facebook, it remains possible they could extend the ban beyond the initial 2-year period depending on the circumstances at that time.
Ongoing risk assessment
Facebook has stated they will reassess the risk environment before determining if Trump’s account access should be restored after the 2-year suspension lapses. If they determine Trump still poses too great a public safety threat, they could issue a continued ban for any duration they see fit.
Policy violations during 2022 elections
If Trump were to shift to posting content that violates Facebook policies on other platforms during the 2022 US midterm election cycle, that could factor into Facebook extending his ban as a recidivist policy offender.
Running for president in 2024
Some experts believe that if Trump runs for president again in 2024, Facebook could be more inclined to keep the ban in place through the next presidential election cycle to avoid their platforms being used to promote any potential unrest or insurrection attempts.
What is Trump’s status on other platforms?
In addition to his ban from Facebook, Trump was also suspended to varying degrees from several other major social media platforms and online services following the January 6 Capitol riots.
YouTube
YouTube suspended Trump’s channel for a minimum of one week on January 12, 2021 and later extended it to an indefinite ban. As of October 2022, Trump’s YouTube channel remains unavailable.
Twitter enacted a permanent suspension of Trump’s @realDonaldTrump account on January 8, 2021 citing the risks of further inciting violence. Trump sued Twitter but a judge ruled in May 2022 the platform was within its rights.
Twitch
The livestreaming service Twitch disabled Trump’s channel on January 7, 2021. In June 2022, Twitch made the ban indefinite, stating Trump was not fit for the community.
Snapchat
Snapchat locked Trump’s account on January 6, 2021 and later permanently terminated it after determining he tried to spread misinformation, violent threats and hate speech.
Conclusion
Facebook’s ban on Trump following the January 6 insurrection remains one of the most definitive actions taken against the former president’s social media access. While initially indefinite, Facebook clarified in 2021 the suspension would last 2 years total, taking Trump off their platforms until at least January 7, 2023. They stated any decision to lift or extend the ban further will depend on an assessment of the public safety risks Trump poses at that time. The ban highlights social platforms’ abilities to restrict even prominent public figures and politicians if they violate policies. While Trump remains critical of the ban, it likely contributed to his efforts to launch his own alternative media platform where he faces no speech restrictions.