Former President Donald Trump spoke to Fox News Wednesday, telling the network that his team is planning to discuss a potential reinstatement with social media platform Facebook ahead of the 2024 presidential campaign.
Calling the platform’s decision to ban his account a “huge business mistake,” Trump reportedly said, “If they took us back, it would help them greatly, and that’s okay with me,” adding, “But they need us more than we need them.”
Trump was banned from Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, and other platforms after the Jan 6., 2021 Capitol breach.
“It has been considered a major business mistake for them, Twitter, and others,” Trump told Fox News recently after his campaign team sent a letter to Meta asking for reinstatement on Tuesday.
“We believe that the ban on President Trump’s account on Facebook has dramatically distorted and inhibited the public discourse,” Team Trump wrote in the letter.
Twitter, under the leadership of new CEO Elon Musk, reinstated Trump’s account in November, although the former president has not returned to the platform where he gained a reputation for iconic, and often hilarious, tweets.
Since his cross-platform ban in 2021, Trump launched Truth Social, where he regularly releases new statements and announcements. Trump has amassed around 4.8 million followers on the newly-released app thus far.
“Truth Social is through the roof,” Trump said to Fox News, touting his latest creation.
However, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told Fox that reinstatement on other platforms – especially Facebook – is critical for the campaign’s 2024 operation, and free speech.
“Free speech is an essential part of democracy and President Trump must be allowed to speak directly to the American people so they can be informed about his vision as they cast their ballots,” said Cheung.
“We have seen how Big Tech has tried to silence President Trump and other conservatives, and continuing this abhorrent practice is un-American and undemocratic.”
“Being back on the platform will be an important tool for the 2024 campaign to reach voters through advertising, grassroots mobilization and fundraising, like all other candidates are able to do,” Cheung continued.
According to Fox News, Facebook said it would reassess Trump’s ban in two years, but that period – which ended on January 7th – has already passed without a review.
Earlier this month, Trump released a video announcing his plan to place a 7-year ban on intelligence operatives working at big tech companies.
President Trump announces plan to place a 7-year ban on FBI/CIA working for big tech pic.twitter.com/1hml6oFBf8
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) January 11, 2023
