Donald Trump Reinstated on YouTube After Two Year Ban

Former President Donald Trump has been reinstated on YouTube, two years after his channel was suspended following his supporters’ violent attack on the US Capitol.^[0] The video platform announced the move on Friday, saying it had “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.”^[1]

The YouTube statement also noted that Trump’s channel will “continue to be subject to our policies, just like any other channel on YouTube.”^[0] The company had initially suspended Trump’s account in January 2021, several days following the January 6 insurrection, after his account violated its policies for posting content that incited calls to violence.^[2]

The announcement follows Twitter’s decision to lift the ban on the former president's account in November, although Trump has not returned to the platform.^[3] Last month, Facebook lifted its restrictions on Donald Trump, after having previously banned him.^[3] Since the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, Donald Trump has not posted anything on Facebook.^[3]

Leslie Miller, YouTube’s vice president for Public Policy, said in a statement that the Donald J. Trump channel “is no longer restricted and the ability to upload new content is restored.”^[4]

President Trump has regained access to his Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube accounts, potentially awarding him the same social media outreach that enabled him to be victorious in the 2016 presidential election.^[5] Although he has not yet utilized the power of the internet, he prefers to post on his own platform, Truth Social, and attend rallies.^[5]

With restrictions lifted, Trump will also now be able to purchase ads on the video-sharing platform.^[6] By Friday morning, no new video had been uploaded to Trump's YouTube channel, which boasts 2.6 million subscribers.^[7] On Friday, YouTube restored the comments that had been disabled on videos on President Trump's channel.^[8] Once his account was reactivated, many users left comments of “welcome back” on his past videos.^[8]

Trump's return to his accounts could provide him with other potential social media outlets, following his announcement of a 2024 presidential bid last year.^[0] The reactivation of Donald Trump's YouTube channel will give him access to the video streaming platform again, which his account has over 2.6 million subscribers on. YouTube wasn't Trump's primary social media platform, but it is still a significant one.^[9]

0. “YouTube Lifts Restrictions on Donald Trump's Channel After 2-Year Suspension” CNET, 17 Mar. 2023, https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/youtube-lifts-restrictions-on-donald-trumps-channel-after-2-year-suspension

1. “YouTube Reinstates Donald Trump’s Channel” Yahoo Entertainment, 17 Mar. 2023, https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/youtube-reinstates-donald-trump-channel-152128983.html

2. “YouTube Is Reinstating Donald Trump's Channel” Gizmodo, 17 Mar. 2023, https://gizmodo.com/youtube-donald-trump-channel-reinstated-1850052899

3. “YouTube Reinstates Trump's Account: A Sign of Decreased Risk — Or Outright Policy Shift? – Alphabet (NASD” Benzinga, 17 Mar. 2023, https://www.benzinga.com/news/23/03/31399808/youtube-reinstates-trumps-account-a-sign-of-decreased-risk-or-outright-policy-shift

4. “YouTube Restores Donald Trump's Account – Deadline” Deadline, 17 Mar. 2023, https://deadline.com/2023/03/donald-trump-youtube-restored-1235302924

5. “YouTube reinstates Donald Trump's account” The Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/03/17/youtube-donald-trump-account

6. “YouTube restores Trump's account after 2-year suspension” Axios, 17 Mar. 2023, https://www.axios.com/2023/03/17/trump-youtube-suspension-restored

7. “YouTube lets Trump post new videos, says it evaluated risk of ‘real-world violence'” New Hampshire Public Radio, 17 Mar. 2023, https://www.nhpr.org/2023-03-17/youtube-lets-trump-post-new-videos-says-it-evaluated-risk-of-real-world-violence

8. “YouTube restores Donald Trump's channel – Cincinnati” WLWT Cincinnati, 17 Mar. 2023, https://www.wlwt.com/article/donald-trump-youtube-channel-restored/43348932

9. “Donald Trump allowed back on YouTube after two-year suspension” New York Post , 17 Mar. 2023, https://nypost.com/2023/03/17/trump-allowed-back-on-youtube-after-two-year-suspension/