Menlo Park, California - Meta said Friday it was lifting restrictions on Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts, ending measures put in place after his supporters violently stormed the Capitol in 2021.

Meta said that "former President Trump, as the nominee of the Republican Party, will no longer be subject to the heightened suspension penalties."

Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts were suspended indefinitely a day after his supporters attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and it was determined he had praised people engaged in violence on social media.

His accounts were reinstated in February 2023, but with a threat of penalties for future breaches – an additional restriction that Meta lifted on Friday.

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"In assessing our responsibility to allow political expression, we believe that the American people should be able to hear from the nominees for President on the same basis," Meta wrote in a blog post.

It added that US presidential candidates "remain subject to the same Community Standards as all Facebook and Instagram users, including those policies designed to prevent hate speech and incitement to violence."

Trump, the first sitting or former US president to be convicted of a crime, was also banned from Twitter and YouTube.

While those restrictions were lifted last year, the Republican now mainly communicates on his own social media platform, Truth Social.

His Facebook profile, which has 34 million users, includes messages originally published on Truth Social as well as invitations to rallies and videos from his campaign.