Donald Trump posted on Facebook and YouTube on Friday for the first time since his banishment two years ago following the assault on the Capitol.
” I’M BACK ! “Wrote the former Republican president, who is seeking a second term in 2024.
He accompanied those words with a short CNN video, in which he is flanked by his Vice President Mike Pence and his son Barron, and which appears to date from the night of his election in 2016.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, it was complicated,” he said.
His message was met with hundreds of comments, including several “Glad to see you again” and “What a relief to have you back, Mr. President”.
Earlier Friday, online video platform YouTube announced it was ending its suspension.
“As of today, the ‘Donald J. Trump’ channel is no longer subject to restrictions,” the American giant said on Twitter.
The Republican had been excluded from the social network in January 2021, while he was still in power, for having encouraged his supporters during the attack on Congress in Washington.
This unprecedented decision was imitated at the time by most mainstream social networks, including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
To justify its decision, YouTube said on Friday that it had assessed “the risk of violence”, while taking into account the importance, for voters, of hearing “equally from major national candidates”.
Donald Trump had already been re-admitted on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram in recent months. Until now, he communicated mainly through his own platform, Truth Social.