Trump Suspended From Facebook For 2 Years
Facebook says former President Donald Trump cannot use its social media platforms until at least Jan. 7, 2023. Pool/Getty Images hide caption
Facebook has extended former President Donald Trump's suspension for two years and says it will only reinstate him "if the risk to public safety has receded."
The decision comes after Facebook's Oversight Board told the company it had been wrong to impose an indefinite ban on Trump after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Facebook says it is setting new rules for public figures in times of civil unrest and violence, "to be applied in exceptional cases such as this." Trump has received the maximum penalty under those rules, "given the gravity of the circumstances" leading to his suspension. Because the company took his Facebook and Instagram accounts down on Jan. 7, the two-year suspension will last until at least Jan. 7, 2023.
At that point, Facebook will consult experts and "evaluate external factors, including instances of violence, restrictions on peaceful assembly and other markers of civil unrest," said Nick Clegg, vice president of global affairs, in a statement.
