On Friday, YouTube revealed that it has lifted the restrictions on former President Donald Trump’s channel after more than two years, The Hill reported.
The move will enable the 45th president to post new content as he pursues his campaign for reelection in the 2024 presidential race.
The platform had previously restricted Trump’s channel in the wake of the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, which occurred after the former president made allegations about voter fraud in the 2020 election.
Trump returned to both YouTube by posting a video clip of his 2016 election victory speech, titled with the message, “I’M BACK!”
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Complicated business,” Trump says in the clip.
Trump also returned to Facebook on Friday, where he posted the same message.
Leslie Miller, Vice President of YouTube Public Policy, stated, “We carefully evaluated the continued risk of real-world violence, balancing that with the importance of preserving the opportunity for voters to hear equally from major national candidates in the run up to an election.”
She added, “This channel will continue to be subject to our policies, just like any other channel on YouTube.”
Unlike Twitter and Facebook, which permanently removed Trump’s accounts following the Capitol insurrection due to concerns about incitement of violence, YouTube opted to keep his channel active but barred him from uploading new content, The Hill notes.
YouTube’s decision comes as Trump’s most recent video appearances statements stress the urgency of achieving “peace without delay” in Ukraine, while also advocating for a “completely overhauled” Pentagon and urging the Biden administration to prioritize relations with global powers.
Trump had remarked in a Thursday announcement posted to YouTube alternative Rumble, “We have never been closer to World War III than we are today under Joe Biden. A global conflict between nuclear-armed powers would mean death and destruction on a scale unmatched in human history. It would be nuclear Armageddon.”
He went on to underscore the need to prevent such a catastrophe, asserting, “Nothing is more important than avoiding that nightmare. We will avoid it, but we need new leadership.”
Watch the full announcement:
