YouTube on Friday announced that the suspension on former President Donald Trump’s YouTube channel has been lifted.
The account was restricted in the week following the January 2021 riot on the United States Capitol Building. YouTube, like Twitter and Facebook, stated at the time that Trump’s social media accounts could be used to incite further violence.
YouTube has changed its tune as the former president prepares for a presidential run in 2024.
“Starting today, the Donald J. Trump channel is no longer restricted and can upload new content,” YouTube wrote in a tweet.
“We carefully evaluated the continued risk of real-world violence, while balancing the chance for voters to hear equally from major national candidates in the run up to an election.”
The reactivated account has 2.64 million subscribers and over 4,000 videos. If Trump’s campaign is able to run advertisements on YouTube, the decision could have further ramifications; in 2020, his campaign spent more than $10 million on digital ads in key states.
Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, used a day-long poll in November to decide whether to reinstate Trump’s account.
He re-platformed the former president, who has yet to use his reinstated account after 51.8% of users voted in favor. Facebook reversed Trump’s ban, and he hasn’t posted there either, keeping his word.
Since losing his reelection bid in 2020, Trump has founded his own media company, the Trump Media & Technology Group, which bills itself as “cancelling cancel culture” and “standing up to big tech.” Truth Social, the company’s social media app, was released 13 months ago.
Trump’s ties to his own technology company may explain his absence from mainstream social media.