Is Trump Returning To Facebook? Meta Pushes Back Reinstatement Decision: Report

It has been two years since former President Donald Trump was booted off of several social media platforms, including Meta Platform Inc.’s META Facebook and Instagram (along with Twitter) in the wake of the Capitol Hill insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.

What Happened: While Twitter under its new owner Elon Musk has welcomed Trump back to the platform, Meta has pushed back the timeline for making a decision concerning his reinstatement, Financial Times reports. An announcement on the decision will likely be made later this month, as opposed to the earlier communicated timeline of Jan. 7, 2023, the publication added.

The decision on Trump’s reinstatement could be the biggest test of authority faced by Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, the report said, citing insiders. The onus of making the decision now reportedly rests with Clegg, who previously served as U.K. Deputy Prime Minister, as Meta’s CEO and controlling shareholder Mark Zuckerberg is now focused on product development and his metaverse vision.

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Polarizing Decision: The outcome of Meta’s deliberation could be polarizing, the FT said, citing experts. If Meta decides to keep Trump off its platforms, it could be facing the ire of Republican allies of Trump, who could accuse the company of censoring conservative views.

On the other hand, left-leaning groups could point out that allowing the former president back could be irresponsible and harm democracy, FT said. “It’s an impossible trade off and both decisions come with some tricky consequences,” Katie Harbath, a former Facebook public policy director managing elections, said, according to FB.

Meta closed Friday's session up 0.07% at $120.34, according to Benzinga Pro data. The stock ended 2022 with a loss of about 65%.

Read next: Donald Trump Won't Be Allowed Back On Facebook Until This Date At The Earliest

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