Meta has officially removed any restrictions on former US president Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts as of Friday, shortly before the Republican presidential contender was grazed in the ear by a bullet fired on Saturday at a campaign rally.

The controversial move also comes just before the Republican National Convention, which will see the Republican party officially select its nominee for the upcoming presidential elections.

Trump was originally banned from the social media sites for his part in the January 6 insurrection, when supporters of the convicted felon stormed the US capitol building, claiming the 2020 election results were fraudulent.

Following that, Trump was able to return to Meta’s platforms in 2023, with ‘guardrails’ in place to restrict certain posts.

Ahead of Trump receiving the formal candidacy, Meta said that it was their ‘responsibility’ to allow the American people “to hear form the nominees for president on the same basis,” the company said in a statement.

Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts will no longer be under increased restrictions, which were imposed due to “extraordinary circumstances,” according to Meta.

The former president will now be under the same scrutiny as other political candidates, with policies aiming to prevent hate speech and the incitement of violence.

Following the January 6 insurrection attempt, other social media sites also banned Trump for his role in the attack, as it was alleged he instigated and supported those storming the capitol.

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X, then known as Twitter, Snapchat, and YouTube all banned the former president, prompting Trump to found an alternative, Truth Social, his own social network, in 2022.

Elon Musk allowed Trump to return to X when he bought the company in 2022, though he has yet to post on the social media platform.

Online safety proponents are concerned that Trump’s reintroduction to more social media platforms could cause the spread of misinformation, and the campaign for current president Joe Biden called the decision ‘reckless’.