WASHINGTON - Meta Platforms has restored former US president Donald Trump’s access to Facebook and Instagram, Meta spokesman Andy Stone confirmed on Thursday, following a two-year suspension after the deadly Capitol Hill riot on Jan 6, 2021.

Meta in January said it would lift Mr Trump’s suspension “in the coming weeks” and would institute heightened penalties of a suspension between one month and two years if the former president violated its content policies again.

Mr Trump now regains access to key platforms for voter outreach and political fundraising ahead of another run for the White House in 2024. He had 23 million followers on Instagram and 34 million on Facebook as of January. REUTERS