Trump banned from Facebook and Instagram “indefinitely,” Zuckerberg announces

“We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great,” Zuckerberg wrote.

January 07, 2021
Trump banned from Facebook and Instagram “indefinitely,” Zuckerberg announces President Donald Trump. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images  

President Donald Trump will be blocked "indefinitely" from accessing his Facebook and Instagram accounts, according to a statement from Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

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The decision was made following a January 6 pro-Trump rally in Washington to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which Trump lost to President-elect Joe Biden. The gathering quickly devolved into a riot that stormed the Capitol building and left four people dead.

Trump has been criticized by figures across the political spectrum for inciting the mob, and Zuckerberg said that Trump's behavior during the presidential transition was too dangerous to broadcast on his company's platforms. Yesterday, Facebook removed two posts Trump made during the siege of the Capitol building. "We removed these statements yesterday because we judged that their effect — and likely their intent — would be to provoke further violence," Zuckerberg said.

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"We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great." Zuckerberg continued. "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."

Read the statement in full below:

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Yesterday, Buzzfeed reported on growing outrage among Facebook employees on the company's favorable treatment of Trump as the Capitol siege grew. “Donald Trump has directly incited a terror attack on Capitol Hill,” an employee wrote on Facebook's private message board for workers. Comments on the board calling for Trump's removal were reportedly frozen without explanation.

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Trump banned from Facebook and Instagram “indefinitely,” Zuckerberg announces