Facebook and Instagram will extend a ban on U.S. President Donald Trump‘s accounts for at least the next two weeks until the “peaceful transition of power is completed,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Thursday.
In a post, Zuckerberg said, “the events of the last 24 hours clearly demonstrate that President Donald Trump intends to use his remaining time in office to undermine the peaceful and lawful transition of power to his elected successor, Joe Biden.”
On Wednesday, as U.S. Congress gathered to certify the Electoral College votes, loyal supporters of Trump breached the Capitol building. It was seen as a final chance to overturn the 2020 election results — something Trump has fought hard for, but unsuccessfully.
Trump has repeatedly lobbed false and unfounded attacks on the integrity of the election. However, all the states have certified their results as fair and accurate, by Republic and Democratic officials alike.
His rhetoric boosted his supporters, leading to a chaotic scene at the historic Washington building. In the lead-up to Wednesday’s ordeal, Trump urged his supporters to march to the Capitol.
Zuckerberg said there have been occasions when content on Trump’s pages had to be removed or labelled due to a violation of their policies but said “the current context is now fundamentally different.”
“We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great,” Zuckerberg said in his post on Thursday morning.
“Therefore, we are extending the block we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power is complete.”
Hours after the siege began Wednesday, the president published a pair of tweets and a video telling his supporters it was time “to go home in peace.”
Later, Twitter locked Trump’s account.
Trump formally acknowledged his loss late Wednesday, saying that there will be an “orderly transition on January 20th,” despite “totally disagreeing” with the outcome of the election.
— with files from the Associated PRess