Meta mulls restoring Trump to Facebook with 'great caution'

Meta, Facebook's parent company, is currently deciding whether to reinstate former President Donald Trump's account on the social media platform as its initial suspension's end date approaches.

"We've been very open. That temporary suspension is a two-year period through till early January," Meta President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg said, per The Hill. "We'll look at all the signals that we should do about what we think may or may not affect the risks of real-world harm." Should the company opt in favor of Trump's return, he could be back on the platform by early January of 2023.

Clegg noted that the company was considering its options with a mind toward the outside impact of its decision.

"If you have this significant ability to take decisions which affect the public realm, as a public sector company you need to act with great caution, and resistance. You shouldn't throw your weight about," he asserted.

The company, alongside virtually every other major social media platform, banned Trump from accessing his account amid the fallout from the chaos at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. None of the major platforms have yet reinstated the former president. At one point, prospective Twitter purchaser Elon Musk said he would reinstate Trump's account, though he has since cancelled his bid to purchase the platform and the deal is mired in ongoing litigation.

In the meanwhile, Trump has launched his own platform, Truth Social, in a bid to again reach a broader audience without depending on the political whims of Big Tech executives.