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YouTube Reinstates Former President’s Account, Allowing Him to Upload New Content and Buy Ads for His 2024 Presidential Campaign

ByAlki David

Mar 18, 2023

Leslie Miller, YouTube‘s Vice President for Public Policy, announced that “The Donald J. Trump channel is no longer restricted and the ability to upload new content is restored.” Trump has been banned from most social media platforms, including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, since the Jan. 6 Capitol uprising.

Twitter, however, restored Trump’s account after Elon Musk took over the company, and Facebook has said it is considering giving him his account back as well. YouTube said its decision to reinstate Trump came after an in-depth evaluation of the “continued risk of real-world violence” Trump could cause.

The decision to reinstate Trump’s account has been met with mixed reactions. Some people believe that Trump should be allowed to use social media platforms like any other citizen, while others argue that his past behavior on these platforms has been dangerous and that he should be permanently banned. The decision by YouTube to reinstate Trump’s account is likely to be seen as a victory by his supporters, who have long argued that he has been unfairly targeted by social media companies.

The reinstatement of Trump’s account comes as he is reportedly considering a run for president in 2024. The ability to use social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter will be crucial for any candidate in the upcoming election, and Trump’s reinstatement on these platforms could give him a significant advantage over his rivals. However, it remains to be seen whether Trump will be able to use these platforms effectively, given the controversy that has surrounded his use of social media in the past.

Overall, the decision by YouTube to reinstate Trump’s account is likely to be seen as a significant development in the ongoing debate over free speech and social media. While some people will welcome the decision, others will argue that it sets a dangerous precedent and that social media companies should be doing more to prevent the spread of hate speech and misinformation on their platforms.

By Alki David

Alki David — Publisher, Media Architect, SIN Network Creator - live, direct-to-public communication, media infrastructure, accountability journalism, and independent distribution. Born in Lagos, Nigeria; educated in the United Kingdom and Switzerland; attended the Royal College of Art. Early internet broadcaster — participated in real-time public coverage during the 1997 Mars landing era using experimental online transmission from Beverly Hills. Founder of FilmOn, one of the earliest global internet television networks offering live and on-demand broadcasting outside legacy gatekeepers. Publisher of SHOCKYA — reporting since 2010 on systemic corruption inside the entertainment business and its expansion into law, finance, and regulation. Creator of the SIN Network (ShockYA Integrated Network), a federated media and civic-information infrastructure spanning investigative journalism, live TV, documentary, and court-record reporting. Lived and worked for over 40 years inside global media hubs including Malibu, Beverly Hills, London, Hong Kong and Gstaad. Early encounter with Julian Assange during the first Hologram USA operations proved a formative turning point — exposing the realities of lawfare, information suppression, and concentrated media power. Principal complainant and driving force behind what court filings describe as the largest consolidated media–legal accountability action on record, now before the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. Relocated to Antigua & Barbuda and entered sustained legal, civic, and informational confrontation over media power, safeguarding, and accountability at Commonwealth scale.