FACT CHECK: Were Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram Accounts Restored On June 2?
An image shared on Instagram claims former President Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts have been restored on June 2.
View this post on Instagram
Verdict: False
A Facebook official confirmed on Twitter that Trump is still suspended from Facebook and Instagram. His Facebook page and Instagram account have been visible during his suspension, but haven’t posted any new content in that time.
Fact Check:
On Jan. 7, the day after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol building, Facebook announced Trump had been indefinitely suspended from Facebook and Instagram. Facebook’s Oversight Board said in a May statement that it would be upholding the decision of the indefinite suspension, but gave Facebook six months to review its decision and reach a “proportionate response that is consistent with the rules that are applied to other users of its platform.”
The image in the Instagram post shows a since-deleted June 2 tweet by the account @Breaking911 that stated: “BREAKING: Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts have been restored.” That is, however, not the case for his accounts.
As of June 3, Trump’s Facebook page and Instagram account are still visible, but the posts on each account predate Trump’s suspension from the platforms. His most recent Facebook post is from Jan. 6, the day before he was suspended, and his most recent Instagram post is from Jan. 5.
Archived screen grabs of his Facebook page on Jan. 8 and Feb. 28 show that the page was visible then and had not changed since his last post on Jan 6. The Los Angeles Times also reported in April that Trump’s Facebook page was visible. His Instagram page hasn’t changed since his last post there either, as seen in archived screen grabs on Jan. 16 and Feb. 23.
The Twitter account @disclose.tv also sent a now-deleted tweet on June 2 saying that Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts had been reinstated, but that it was “unclear” if he could post from them again. (RELATED: Viral Post Claims Georgia Recently ‘Flipped To Trump’)
Soon after the tweets appeared, Facebook Policy Communications Director Andy Stone responded to the rumor in a tweet reading, “Nothing about the status of President Trump’s presence on our platform has changed. He remains indefinitely suspended.”
No. Nothing about the status of President Trump’s presence on our platform has changed. He remains indefinitely suspended.
— Andy Stone (@andymstone) June 2, 2021
Trump spokesperson Jason Miller said on June 2 that Trump’s blog, “From the Desk of Donald J. Trump,” had been shut down forever, CNBC reported. He confirmed later that day on Twitter that Trump would be joining another social platform, though he did not specify which one.
