Facebook suspends Trump until 2023, shifts rules for world leaders

A Facebook logo with the official portrait of former US President Donald Trump on the background

Facebook Inc on Friday suspended former US President Donald Trump until at least January 2023 and announced changes to how it will treat world leaders who break the rules on its site. Facebook had suspended Trump's account the day after the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot, determining he had incited violence. That suspension will last at least two years from the date of the initial block and would only be lifted if the risk to public safety has receded, Facebook said on Friday. Trump criticized the decision as a form of censorship and an insult to his voters. This new timeline denies Republican Trump a major social media megaphone ahead of the November 2022 congressional elections. However, it means he may be able to return to Facebook well before the next presidential election in late 2024.