YouTube said on Friday it had reinstated former US President Donald Trump’s channel, following a two-year suspension over concerns he could incite more violence after the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riots in 2021.
In a tweeted on Fridaythe Google-owned video site said Trump’s account was no longer restricted and was able to upload new content.
In 2021, YouTube banned Trump from posting videos on his channel and disabled comments on the channel. At the time, YouTube said it would consider lifting the suspension once the risk of violence had decreased.
“We carefully evaluated the ongoing risk of real-world violence, while balancing the opportunity for voters to hear equally from the major national candidates facing an election,” said Leslie Miller, vice president of public policy. of YouTube, in a statement on Friday about lifting the ban.
YouTube’s decision will come later Facebook and Instagram, which is both owned by Meta, lifted restrictions on the former president’s accounts earlier this year. Elon Musk reversed Trump’s permanent ban from Twitter in November. The return of his accounts gives Trump, who announced last year that he would run for president in 2024, another potential social media megaphone.
So far, Trump hasn’t come back with new posts on YouTube, Facebook or Twitter. In November, the former president said he plans to stick with the social network he helped start earlier this year, Truth Social.
YouTube said Trump’s channel “will continue to be subject to our rules, just like any other channel.”
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.