Meta has announced that it is lifting some restrictions that had applied on former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.

The company said on Friday that the decision was made to ensure that Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, would have equal standing with Democrat President Joe Biden.

Meta in a statement said “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.

“As a result, former President Trump, as the nominee of the Republican Party, will no longer be subject to the heightened suspension penalties”.

Trump’s accounts were indefinitely suspended after he praised individuals who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

They were reinstated in early 2023 with the condition that his posts would be monitored for further violations, potentially resulting in suspensions of one month to two years.

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

While those restrictions were later lifted last year, Trump 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.