Trump returns to Twitter as Facebook, Instagram extend ban

US President Donald Trump will be unable to use Facebook and Instagram for at least two weeks as he remains banned from the social media platforms until the transmission of power to President-elect Joe Biden’s administration is complete.

Twitter has however allowed him back with a warning that he will be banned permanently should he breach the platform rules again.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained that the US President had been banned due to his efforts to incite the violence which occurred at the US Capitol on January 6.

In a post, Zuckerberg stated that the 24-hour-ban imposed on Wednesday had been extended because of Trump’s “use of our platform to incite violent insurrection against a democratically elected government.”

Earlier, both Twitter and Facebook had blocked Trump’s official accounts for 12 hours and 24 hours, respectively.

The companies cited policy violations over his tweets and video message which incited the violence at US Capitol.

Later, Facebook-owned Instagram also announced a 24-hour ban on Trump’s account.

Giving reasons for the imposition of the indefinite ban, Zuckerberg wrote, “The shocking events of the last 24 hours clearly demonstrate that President Donald Trump intends to use his remaining time in office to undermine the peaceful and lawful transition of power to his elected successor, Joe Biden.”

The Facebook CEO added, “We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great. Therefore, we are extending the block we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power is complete.”

Meanwhile, Trump has been allowed to tweet again, after being locked out of his account for 12 hours.

Twitter however has given the outgoing president a final warning.

He was conciliatory in his new post and refrained from making false claims about electoral fraud.

Popular gaming platform Twitch also placed an indefinite ban on Trump’s channel, which he has used for rally broadcasts.

Trump tweeted several message on Wednesday, calling the people who stormed Capitol Hill “patriots”. He also said “We love you.”

A spokesperson for Twitter said, “After the tweets were removed and the subsequent 12-hour period expired, access to @realDonaldTrump was restored.

“Any future violations of the Twitter rules, including our Civic Integrity or Violent Threats policies, will result in permanent suspension of the @realDonaldTrump account.”

Thousands of angry Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday January 6 and clashed with police, resulting in casualties and multiple injuries.

This interrupted an ongoing constitutional process to affirm Joe Biden’s victory in the US presidential election of 2020.