YouTube has restored former President Trump’s channel, allowing him to upload videos ahead of the 2024 presidential election, the video platform announced on Friday.
A host of social media sites banned Trump from their platforms following the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. YouTube had cited “concerns about the ongoing potential for violence” and a violation of its “incitement of violence policies”.
In its decision to reverse course, YouTube – which is owned by Google – acknowledged that it had considered such threats of violence, but wanted to give voters a fair opportunity to hear from the major presidential candidates. The move echoed a similar decision by Meta Platforms, which in January let Trump back on Facebook and Instagram. Trump announced his 2024 run in November.
“Starting today, The Donald J. Trump Channel is no longer restricted and can upload new content,” YouTube said in a statement on Twitter, “We carefully assessed the continued risk of real-world violence before the election, balancing the opportunity for voters to hear equally from the major national candidates.”
YouTube said, “This channel will be subject to our policies just like any other channel on YouTube.”
Shortly after it was reinstated, Trump’s channel aired “I’m Back!” Uploaded a campaign ad titled. The spot includes news footage of Trump speaking to the crowd on election night in 2016. Trump also posted the video to his Facebook page, its first such activity in more than two years.
“Sorry to keep you waiting — making business complicated,” Trump said in archived footage before flashing an ad for the campaign’s texting service.
In December, a House panel investigating the events of January 6 recommended that Trump be criminally prosecuted for his role in the riot, in which a mob violently attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Nevertheless, Trump is considered the frontrunner in the Republican primary race. He hasn’t been charged yet.
Twitter, which also banned Trump after the January 6 rebuke, reinstated users in November after new owner and chief executive Elon Musk asked whether the former POTUS should be brought back. Twitter was his favorite platform during Trump’s presidency. However, the Truth Social founder has not used his Twitter account since reactivating it; His last tweet was a few days after the Capitol attack.
After Trump was reinstated on Twitter, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (DN.Y.) responded to Musk’s poll by tweeting a video of the attack on the Capitol.
He tweeted that when Trump was last on Twitter, the site was “used to incite insurrection, several people were killed, the Vice President of the United States was nearly killed, and hundreds were injured”. , But I think that is not enough for you to answer.” Question. Twitter poll it is.