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Facebook parent company Meta told fact-checkers for its subsidiary they are not to fact-check statements by former President Donald Trump if he announces another White House run, according to CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan.
The edict is in line with Facebook’s broader policy of not fact-checking politicians.
Trump has been banished from the platform since shortly after he incited the Capitol insurrection in January 2021. But the moratorium on fact-checking also applies to any statements Trump has made that were posted by other users.
“Some of you have reached out seeking guidance regarding fact-checking political speech in anticipation of a potential candidacy announcement from former President Trump,” a memo to fact-checkers read.
The memo was sent ahead of a planned announcement from Trump on Tuesday from his Mar-a-Lago estate. It is widely believed he will announce a third run for president after losing his reelection bid to Joe Biden in 2020. Trump has falsely claimed the election was stolen from him, which ultimately led to the storming of the Capitol and his suspension from Facebook, as well as Twitter.
CNN’s further reported:
Meta’s policy doesn’t stipulate that a candidate formally register with the Federal Election Commission. “We define a ‘politician’ as candidates running for office, current office holders – and, by extension, many of their cabinet appointees – along with political parties and their leaders,” the memo stated.
It concluded that “if former President Trump makes a clear, public announcement that he is running for office, he would be considered a politician under our program policies.”
A spokesperson for Meta said the memo is simply “a reiteration of our long-standing policy.”
According to the Washington Post, Trump made more than 30,000 false or misleading statements during his presidency.
