Meta has lifted the final restrictions on Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts as the US presidential elections approach in November. The former president’s accounts were suspended in 2021 after he praised supporters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6.

Reinstated in 2023 with additional monitoring, Trump’s accounts, which have a combined following of over 60 million, are now fully restored, Meta announced in a blog post. The company emphasized its responsibility to allow political expression and stated that Americans should be able to hear from presidential nominees on an equal basis. It noted that US presidential candidates are subject to the same Community Standards as all Facebook and Instagram users, including policies designed to prevent hate speech and incitement to violence.

Since regaining access to Meta’s platforms, Trump’s posts have primarily focused on campaign details and memes targeting his presidential race rival, Joe Biden. Before his 2021 ban, Trump’s Facebook posts were often among the most popular in the US, according to CrowdTangle data.

Trump, the first former president to be convicted of a crime, was also banned from Twitter and YouTube. Restrictions on these accounts were lifted last year, though Trump now primarily communicates on Truth Social, his own social media platform, before reposting to other networks. He returned to Twitter, now called X, after CEO Elon Musk held a poll in which users narrowly voted for his reinstatement.

The actions by major tech companies followed the Capitol Hill riots, which resulted in five deaths and over 100 injured police officers. Trump was accused of inciting violence and repeatedly spreading disinformation.