He’s back.
Former President Donald Trump announced his return to Facebook on Friday afternoon, sharing a message in his signature style in capital letters on the social media platform more than two years after he was banned.
“I CAME BACK!” Trump, 76, posted a video to his more than 34 million followers of himself celebrating his upset victory in 2016.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, complicated business,” thundered the former commander-in-chief of the New York watchdog party after defeating Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook and Instagram, announced on January 25 that it would restore Trump’s access to his accounts, saying the public should be allowed to listen to politicians, but Trump would face “heightened penalties” for repeated violations of the law. its rules.
Nick Clegg, Meta’s chairman of global affairs and former UK deputy prime minister, said the company had added “new railings” to prepare for Trump’s return and was ready to “deter repeated wrongdoing” by the former POTUS.
“Social media is rooted in the belief that open debate and the free flow of ideas are important values,” he said in a statement. “As a matter of principle, we do not want to interfere with open, public and democratic debate on Meta platforms – especially in the context of elections in democratic societies such as the United States.”
Despite Trump’s reinstatement, it was unclear whether he would post on the bills.
Reports in January, however, showed that the former president was eager to return, citing ending an exclusive relationship with his own social media platform Truth Social, which he launched after being banned from major platforms in the aftermath of the January 6 Capitol riots.
Even after billionaire Elon Musk took over Twitter and restored his account, Trump could also lose millions of dollars if he chose to tweet, due to the Truth Social deal.
![former President Donald Trump](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/NYPICHPDPICT000008413835.jpg?w=1024)
But Trump also lashed out at Facebook from his Truth Social account, saying the company “has lost billions of dollars in value since you ‘de-platformed’ your favorite president, me.”
“Such a thing should never happen again to a sitting president or anyone else who doesn’t deserve revenge! THANK YOU TRUTH SOCIAL FOR DOING SUCH AN AMAZING JOB. YOUR DEVELOPMENT IS UNIQUE AND THE FUTURE IS UNLIMITED!!!” he said just days after Facebook said it was moving forward with plans to restore his account.
Facebook and Instagram are key voter-reaching and fundraising tools and could give Trump a run for president again in 2024. As of February 9, Trump had 23 million followers on Instagram and 34 million on Facebook.
Trump will seek a second term in his third run for the White House amidst a potentially crowded roster of GOP candidates, including his former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, 51, and highly anticipated challenger Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, 44.