Does Facebook have any immediate plans to reinstate Donald Trump's account? No, that's not true: Facebook suspended the now former president's account on January 7, 2021. The suspension is for at least two years, at which point Facebook says it will reinstate Trump's account if it determines there's no longer a public safety risk.
The claim appeared in a blog post (archived here), published by Simon Parkes on October 6, 2021. Titled "Facebook To Reinstate President Trump's Account," the post read:
Facebook to reinstate President Trump's account. Not sure if it will be fully functioning.
Users on social media saw this title, description and thumbnail:
Facebook To Reinstate President Trumps Account
Facebook to reinstate President Trumps account. Not sure if it will be fully functioning.
The post provided no sourcing to support its claim. Lead Stories reached out to Facebook to ask if it was true.
In an email dated October 8, 2021, Facebook spokesman Andy Stone responded that nothing has changed with respect to Trump's account. Facebook suspended the account on January 7, 2021, one day after supporters of then-President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers were preparing to certify the results of the 2020 election.
Trump's account was originally suspended indefinitely. Facebook then referred its decision to the independent Oversight Board, which upheld the suspension but found that its open-ended nature was not appropriate. In response, Facebook said that Trump's account would be suspended for at least two years, at which point Facebook will reinstate the account if it determines there is no longer a risk to public safety. In a statement, Facebook added:
When the suspension is eventually lifted, there will be a strict set of rapidly escalating sanctions that will be triggered if Mr. Trump commits further violations in future, up to and including permanent removal of his pages and accounts.
In July 2021, Trump sued Facebook and other social media giants, alleging that they violated his free speech rights when they banned him from their platforms. Litigation was ongoing at the time of writing.
