YouTube is restoring Donald Trump’s access to the video-sharing platform, two years after his account was suspended for the former President’s role in the January 6th riot on the US Capitol.
“We carefully evaluated the continued risk of real-world violence, while balancing the chance for voters to hear equally from major national candidates in the run up to an election,” YouTube said in lifting the suspension. (Trump has already announced he's running for president in 2024.)
YouTube originally enacted the suspension over concerns Trump would use the video-sharing platform to incite more unrest, following the Jan. 6th attack on the Capitol. However, the restriction was always meant to be temporary.
“We will lift the suspension of the Donald Trump channel when we determine the risk of violence has decreased,” YouTube’s former CEO Susan Wojcicki said in March 2021.
Although YouTube is lifting the suspension, the platform said it could restrict the account again if Trump breaks the rules. YouTube currently has policies that forbid users from promoting false claims about past elections. However, a user has to receive three strikes within a 90-day period for YouTube to terminate their channel. Meanwhile, receiving the first strike will cause YouTube to restrict the user’s ability to upload videos or conduct a live stream for a week.
As for Trump, he may refrain from posting videos on YouTube. Other social media services including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have also reinstated Trump’s access. But so far, he's avoided using them. This may be because the former President struck a deal that requires him to publish all his musings on his own site, Truth Social, before posting them on any other platform.
His posts on Truth Social must also be exclusive for six hours. Still, Trump could try to find a way to back out of the deal, especially as his 2024 presidential campaign ramps up.
UPDATE 7 P.M. ET: Trump has now posted to his Facebook and YouTube accounts with a brief “I’m back” message.