Psaki on Whether or Not Trump Will be Back on Facebook in 2023: ‘Unlikely that a Zebra Will Change His Stripes’

Following rumors that Trump’s Facebook account had been reinstated, the social media giant announced that the former president’s account is still suspended and that it would remain so for the next two years. After that time, Facebook says it will consult “experts” to determine if “the risk to public safety has receded.”

Facebook has also said that, as a result of Trump’s suspension from the platform, they will no longer give public figures preferential treatment. 

The announcement from Facebook has drawn criticism from both the Left and the Right. Those on the political left advocated for Trump to be permanently banned while Conservatives have argued that social media companies have been censoring their speech for years. Brent Bozell, president of the Media Research Center said, “Facebook’s ruling on former President Donald Trump is just the latest evidence that Big Tech wields far too much power.”

Jen Psaki, the Biden Administration press secretary, said on Friday, “…any other platform that is disseminating information to millions of Americans has a responsibility to crack down on disinformation to crack down on false information whether it’s about the election, or even about the vaccine.” She also expressed doubt that Trump’s “behavior and how he uses these platforms,” will change over the next two years.  

Psaki on Facebook extending Trump’s suspension: “Feels pretty unlikely that the zebra is going to change his stripes over the next two years.” https://t.co/Th3eeKRYP2 pic.twitter.com/znVf0MezfT

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) June 4, 2021

Trump weighed in on the decision calling it, “an insult to the record-setting 75 (million) people, plus many others, who voted for us in the 2020 Rigged Presidential Election.” He also added that “when” he is back in the White House, “there will be no more dinners” with Zuckerburg and his family. 

The two-year suspension is set to end on January 7, 2023, just in time for Trump to recover one of the most powerful communication platforms for the 2024 election cycle.