AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Former President Donald Trump will have one of his social media bans lifted as YouTube is reportedly restoring his page.
Axios reporter Sara Fischer was first to report the news on Friday, a spokesperson with YouTube confirming the Trump YouTube comeback.
YouTube suspended Trump’s account, which had more than two million followers, in 2021 following the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot. Other social media platforms like Twitter similarly booted Trump. He now posts to his own social media platform, Truth Social.
In March 2021, YouTube said Trump’s suspension would be lifted when “the risk of incitement to violence” decreased.
As of March 17, Trump is free again to post to his YouTube channel, YouTube’s vice president of public policy Leslie Miller first told Axios. The former president is also free to buy YouTube ad space with his suspension lifted.
YouTube confirmed the suspension lift to Mediaite and provided the following statement from Miller:
Starting today, The Donald J. Trump channel is no longer restricted and the ability to upload new content is restored. We carefully evaluated the continued risk of real-world violence, balancing that with the importance of preserving the opportunity for voters to hear equally from major national candidates in the run up to an election. This channel will continue to be subject to our policies, just like any other channel on YouTube.
Videos that were previously flagged and removed from Trump’s channel will not be restored. Trump’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts were all previously restored, though it remains unclear if Trump will simultaneously use any of them on top of his Truth Social deal.
