Facebook will not move up its timeline for reviewing its decision to suspend Donald Trump, regardless of whether he announces he’s running again for president, a top company executive told POLITICO.
In sticking to its January timetable, Facebook has decided to keep Trump off the world’s largest social media platform even if he becomes a declared presidential candidate before then. The platform’s timeline will also be unaffected by the recent FBI search of Trump’s residence in Florida.
Trump is widely expected to run in 2024, with an announcement possible before the midterms.
“We’re going to stay on that timeline,” Nick Clegg, president of global affairs at Meta, Facebook’s parent company, said in an interview. Facebook blocked Trump following posts the company said violated its incitement of violence policy during the deadly riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The company later set a date of Jan. 7, 2023, for a decision on whether to reinstate him.
If Trump announces that he’s running for president in 2024, it may increase outside pressure on Facebook to make a call more quickly. Many Republicans have already argued that the company is unfairly silencing Trump on a platform used by millions of Americans, and Trump’s potential opponents do not face similar restrictions. Meanwhile, some of Trump’s critics have called for a permanent ban.