Friday, February 28, 2025

Fact Check

No, Donald Trump’s Facebook And Instagram Accounts Were Not Reinstated

banner_image

Claim

Former US President Donald Trump, who is not new to controversies, has lately been in the news after Google barred his social network app, Truth Social, from its play store, citing that the app violated policies and required “effective systems for moderating user-generated content” in order to be offered on the platform.

Against the backdrop of the Google-Trump tiff, several social media users and a few news outlets claimed that Meta reinstated the former US President’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. Notably, Trump’s Meta accounts were suspended following the January 6, 2021 violence at the US Capitol. 

In a report dated August 30, 2022, news outlet Free Press Journal claimed that Trump’s Facebook, Instagram accounts were reinstated. They also posted a tweet claiming the same.

Screenshot of Tweet by @fpjindia

Archived links to other such claims can be found here, here, here and here.

Fact

Newschecker began by conducting a keyword search for “Trump Facebook account reinstated” on Google, which yielded no relevant results, apart from the FPJ report on the same. However, we did come across a report by the Independent, dated August 16, 2022, with the title ‘Facebook won’t reinstate Trump’s account early – even if he runs for president.’ 

The article stated that Facebook says his (Trump) suspension will remain in place until January 7, 2023, when the company will decide if it can be safely reinstated. Nick Clegg, president of global affairs at Meta, was quoted as saying, “We’re going to stay on that timeline.” 

Screenshot of Independent website

Furthermore, responding to Newschecker’s query on the alleged restoration of Donald Trump’s account, a Meta spokesperson told us ”this news is not true.”

Old Hoax Resurfaces

A simple keyword search for “Donald Trump Facebook Instagram Reinstated” on Twitter led us to a post by @6NewsAU, dated June 3, 2021 captioned “Former US President Donald Trump’s Facebook & Instagram accounts have reportedly been reinstated (via @atrupar).”

Taking a cue, we looked up @atrupar’s profile on Twitter and found a tweet dated June 3, 2021, where he had clarified that Trump’s accounts were not reinstated. He had written, “Deleted tweets saying the status of Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts changed because apparently that’s not the case. I didn’t realize those pages remained live to commenters even after he was suspended. Facebook says nothing has changed & he’s still indefinitely suspended.”

Additionally, in the comment section of the now-deleted tweet by @atrupa, we found a reply by Meta executive Andy Stone, dated June 3, 2021, saying, “No. Nothing about the status of President Trump’s presence on our platform has changed. He remains indefinitely suspended.” 

Screenshot of Tweet by @andymstone

We can thus conclude that former US President Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts have not been reinstated, as of yet.

Result: False

Sources

Report By Independent, Dated August 16, 2022
E-Mail Correspondence With Meta

If you liked this and want to read more such fact checks then click here.


If you would like us to fact-check a claim, give feedback, or lodge a complaint, WhatsApp us at 9999499044 or email us at checkthis@newschecker.in. You can also visit the Contact Us page and fill out the form.

image
If you would like us to fact check a claim, give feedback or lodge a complaint WhatsApp us at +91-9999499044 or email us at checkthis@newschecker.in​. You can also visit the Contact Us​ page and fill the form.
Newchecker footer logo
Newchecker footer logo
Newchecker footer logo
Newchecker footer logo
About Us

Newchecker.in is an independent fact-checking initiative of NC Media Networks Pvt. Ltd. We welcome our readers to send us claims to fact check. If you believe a story or statement deserves a fact check, or an error has been made with a published fact check

Contact Us: checkthis@newschecker.in

17,279

Fact checks done

FOLLOW US
imageimageimageimageimageimageimage
Copyright © 2022 NC Media Pvt. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
cookie

Our website uses Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies to help personalise content,tailor and measure ads, and provide a better experience. By clicking OK or turning an option on in Cookie Preferences, you agree to this, as outlined in our Cookie Policy.