YouTube has reinstated Donald Trump's account, ending a two-year suspension from the video-sharing platform. The move follows similar decisions by Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, and Elon Musk's Twitter.
The former US president was banned in January 2021 after YouTube said his channel violated rules on incitement of violence, following the storming of the US Capitol by his supporters on 6 January 2021.
YouTube announced the reinstatement on Twitter, stating: 'Starting today, the Donald J. Trump channel is no longer restricted and can upload new content.' The platform said it had '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.'
Trump's account on YouTube, which has over 2.6 million subscribers, is now subject to the same policies as any other channel. He also has 87 million followers on Twitter, 34 million on Facebook, and 23 million on Instagram.
Despite the reinstatement, it remains uncertain whether Trump will resume posting on YouTube. On Friday, he posted on Facebook for the first time in over two years with a short video clip of his 2016 victory speech and the message: 'I'M BACK!'
