Soon after the 2020 election, and immediately following the deadly attempted insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6th, Donald Trump faced a public predicament. His rhetoric, which at the time was being blamed for the riotous actions of the crowd that stormed the halls of Congress, was deemed too “dangerous” by Twitter and Facebook.
Suddenly, Trump had no social media presence whatsoever.
Even after his acquittal in the Senate on charges of “inciting and insurrection”, these often-liberal-leaning platforms remained obstinate in restoring his posting ability.
Now, they’re taking it even further and restricting anything that even depicts him.
On Tuesday, Lara Trump, a Fox News contributor, posted an image on Instagram of her sitting across from her father-in-law, urging followers to “Join us tonight!”
A group of Trump officials were sent an email from a Facebook employee, warning that any content posted on Facebook and Instagram “in the voice of President Trump is not currently allowed on our platforms (including new posts with President Trump speaking)” and warned that it “will be removed if posted, resulting in additional limitations on accounts that posted it.”
“This guidance applies to all campaign accounts and Pages, including Team Trump, other campaign messaging vehicles on our platforms, and former surrogates,” the email, posted on Instagram by Trump’s son, Eric Trump, stated.
The interview was eventually posted to Lara Trump’s Facebook page, but was later taken down.
The move will almost certainly reignite the controversy surrounding Donald Trump’s freedom of speech, particularly if Facebook continues to clamp down on conservative allies of his in the 2024 race.
