The News
Donald Trump has regained access to his YouTube channel, the video site announced on Twitter.
“We carefully evaluated the continued risk of real-world violence, while balancing the chance for voters to hear equally from major national candidates in the run up to an election,” YouTube said.
It is the latest company to give Trump access to his social media accounts, more than two years after the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Step Back
YouTube said that Trump’s channel would be subject to to content moderation policies like any other account.
After the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, major social media platforms like Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat suspended or restricted Trump’s accounts out of concerns that his rhetoric could fuel more political violence.
But after Trump announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential elections, big tech companies have been adapting their policies to give him his platform back.
Twitter, under new owner Elon Musk’s promise of making the site a haven for free speech, was the first to unblock Trump’s account. Trump has yet to resume tweeting, instead relying on Truth Social, the social media site he created after leaving office.
In February, Meta also restored Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, adding that the company had updated its policies for public figures. Under the new protocols, he could face “heightened penalties for repeat offenses” related to inciting political violence, including suspensions ranging from a month to two years.
Trump posted on Facebook for the first time since being unbanned on Friday, uploading a video of him addressing supporters after his 2016 victory with a caption: “I’M BACK!”
