Facebook still banning Donald Trump despite campaign

Donald Trump may be running for president, but he still can’t use Facebook.The social media platform has no plans to reinstate Trump’s account following the former president’s announcement that he will seek a second term in the White House, the company confirmed Wednesday.Trump was kicked off Facebook following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.Trump may not have to wait long to get back on the site, however. His suspension from Facebook is set to be reconsidered in January, two years after it was first imposed.One change will be immediate: As a candidate, Trump will no longer be subject to Facebook fact checks. That’s because under Facebook rules, comments by elected officials and candidates for office aren’t subject to fact checks on its site. The Associated Press participates in Facebook’s independent fact-checking program.Throughout his tenure as president, Trump’s use of social media posed a significant challenge to major social media platforms trying to balance the public’s need to hear from their elected leaders with worries about misinformation, harassment and incitement of violence.Following the Jan. 6 riot, Trump was also kicked off Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram, which is owned by Facebook parent company Meta. Trump’s ability to post videos to his YouTube channel was suspended.YouTube spokeswoman Ivy Choi said Wednesday the company had no plans to lift the suspension.Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk, has said he disagreed with the platform’s decision to bar Trump following the Jan. 6 attack. Musk said no announcement about reinstating banned users will be made until a content moderation council has reviewed the issueTwitter did not respond to questions about whether Trump’s candidacy will impact the decision. Since his suspension, Trump has started his own social media platform, TruthSocial, and said he has no plans to rejoin Twitter if allowed.