The company announced on Friday that Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts will remain suspended for two years, effective from the date of their initial ban on January 7. Nick Clegg, Facebook’s vice-president of global affairs, said the company will then consider allowing him back on the platforms: He added that once the suspension is lifted, “there will be a strict set of rapidly escalating sanctions” that will be triggered if Trump commits further violations. Clegg said these could include the permanent removal of his pages and accounts. [Read: This dude drove an EV from the Netherlands to New Zealand — here are his 3 top road trip tips] The former president’s accounts were suspended following the riots at the US Capitol building. They were initially blocked for 24 hours, but the ban was later made indefinite. At the time, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the ban had been extended due to “the use of our platform to incite violent insurrection against a democratically elected government.” Clegg announced that the company had reviewed this decision following criticism from Facebook’s Oversight Board, which had criticized the open-ended nature of the suspension: The two-year suspension will disappoint the many people who had called for a permanent ban — particularly as it opens the door for Trump to return to the platforms before the 2024 election campaign.
