The former president, banned from Facebook since January 2021, wants to make a comeback there. After winning his case on Twitter, Donald Trump wants to convince Mark Zuckerberg to let him return to the social network.
Donald Trump has officially been back on Twitter since November 2022, thanks to Elon Musk, the social network’s new boss. But the former president of the United States wants more: he now wants to be able to return to Facebook and Instagram. During’an interview with Fox News on January 18, 2023, he explained that his campaign team had officially requested that his account be reinstated on the social network.
Donald Trump, who declared himself a candidate for the 2024 presidential election in November, has been banned from Facebook since the storming of the American capitol by his supporters on January 6, 2021. The former president, who has always criticized the decision, believes today that Facebook needs us more than we need it as he told Fox News.
Facebook “made a huge mistake” according to Trump
For the moment, Facebook has not yet responded to Donald Trump’s request. In January 2021, the day after the invasion of the Capitol, Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, wrote that there was “ just too much risk to leave [Donald Trump] continue to use our service these days “. But since then, the political situation in the country has changed and Trump is again a candidate.
“ We believe the suspension of President Trump’s Facebook account has radically distorted and restricted public debate. said Scott Gast, Donald Trump’s lawyer, in a letter sent to Facebook to convince them to let the former president return.
At Fox News, Trump also said that Facebook had lost ” $700 billion since he was banned, implying that the losses were largely due to his absence. ” This is a huge mistake on their part. If they let us come back, it would help them a lot, and it would be ok for me “, he said, also noting that his social network, Truth, was “ a great success “.
Facebook is an indispensable tool for Trump
Even if he feigns nonchalance, for the billionaire, a return to Facebook is of the utmost importance for his future campaign. In 2016, it was thanks to the social network that Trump’s teams ” were able to collect data “and thanks to Facebook that the billionaire was able to” bypass traditional media and galvanize their fans “, according to Steven Cheung, the spokesperson for Donald Trump’s campaign.
In 2016 and 2020, Facebook also allowed Donald Trump to organize fundraisers and raise large sums of money. According to Steven Cheung, Facebook is an essential organizing tool for the campaign — and being deprived of it could be a real obstacle for the former president. The answer will be known early this year: a Facebook spokesperson said their decision would be announced in ” the next weeks “. Whatever the conclusion reached by the social network, it will be historic and fraught with consequences.
