Trump campaign has asked Meta to unblock the former president’s Facebook account

By CNN

Published January 18, 2023 7:56 AM

CNN

By Kristen Holmes, CNN

Former President Trump’s campaign sent a letter to Facebook’s parent company, Meta, Tuesday petitioning them to unblock his Facebook account, a source familiar with the letter tells CNN.

Trump’s Facebook and Twitter accounts were blocked following the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. Facebook initially said its ban of Trump would be indefinite. But after a public consultation and deliberation with experts, the company announced in June 2021 that Trump’s ban would be reassessed in January 2023, two years after the initial decision.

CNN reported last week that the decision to allow former President Donald Trump back on Facebook and Instagram, is being debated by a specially formed internal working group at the company, according to a person familiar with the deliberations.

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone told CNN the decision is set to be announced in the coming weeks. A Trump adviser said that reinstating the former president’s Facebook account would make it easier for the campaign to do outreach.

Twitter CEO Elon Musk reinstated Trump in November of last year, but the former president has yet to tweet. Trump aides have been discussing what a reentry to Twitter would look like, including how to “maximize” his first tweet.

This is a developing story. It will be updated.

Additional reporting by CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan, Clare Duffy, Kristen Holmes, Gabby Orr and Brian Fung.

Article Topic Follows: cnn-social media/technology

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