What Happened When Trump Was Banned on Facebook and Twitter – The New York Times

When Facebook and Twitter barred Donald J. Trump from their platforms after the Capitol riot in January, he lost direct access to his most powerful megaphones. On Friday, Facebook said the former president would not be allowed back on its service until at least January 2023, citing a risk to public safety.

Since his ban and President Bidens inauguration, he has posted statements online far less often. But some of his statements have traveled just as far and wide on social networks.

The First Lady and I tested positive for COVID-19 ...

Both President Trumps own posts and those directly

quoting him were liked and shared 4.6 million times

on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

I WON THIS

ELECTION, BY

A LOT!

Donald Trump

banned from

social media

To all of those who have

asked, I will not be going

to the Inauguration on

January 20th.

This has been yet another

phase of the greatest

witch hunt in the history

of our Country...

Posts quoting this Trump

statement on his second

impeachment got 2 million

likes and shares, even

without Mr. Trump being

able to post it himself.

The First Lady and I tested positive for COVID-19 ...

Both President Trumps own posts and those directly

quoting him were liked and shared 4.6 million times

on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

I WON THIS

ELECTION,

BY A LOT!

Donald Trump banned

from social media

To all of those who have

asked, I will not be going

to the Inauguration on

January 20th.

This has been yet another phase

of the greatest witch hunt in the

history of our Country...

Posts quoting this Trump statement

on his second impeachment got

2 million likes and shares across social

media, even without Mr. Trump being

able to post it himself.

Donald Trump banned

from social media

The First Lady and I tested positive for COVID-19 ...

Both President Trumps own posts and those directly

quoting him were liked and shared 4.6 million times

on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!

This has been yet another phase of the greatest

witch hunt in the history of our Country...

Posts quoting this Trump statement on his second

impeachment got 2 million likes and shares across social

media, even without Mr. Trump being able to post it himself.

To all of those who have asked, I will not be

going to the Inauguration on January 20th.

The First Lady and I tested positive for COVID-19 ...

I WON THIS ELECTION,

BY A LOT!

Both President Trumps own posts and those

directly quoting him were liked and shared

4.6 million times on Twitter,

Facebook and Instagram.

Donald Trump

banned from social media

This has been yet another phase of the greatest

witch hunt in the history of our Country...

Posts quoting this Trump statement on his second impeachment

got 2 million likes and shares across social media, even without

Mr. Trump being able to post it himself.

To all of those who have asked, I will not be

going to the Inauguration on January 20th.

Tallies of likes and shares come from the 100 most highly liked and shared posts on Facebook and Instagram for each Trump statement. (In most cases, there were fewer than 100 posts quoting each statement.) On Twitter, any posts quoting a given Trump statement that had at least 10 retweets were included.

The New York Times examined Mr. Trumps nearly 1,600 social media posts from Sept. 1 to Jan. 8, the day Mr. Trump was banned from the platforms. We then tracked the social media engagement with the dozens of written statements he made on his personal website, campaign fund-raising site and in email blasts from Jan. 9 until May 5, which was the day that the Facebook Oversight Board, which reviews some content decisions by the company, said that the company acted appropriately in kicking him off the service.

Before the ban, the social media post with the median engagement generated 272,000 likes and shares. After the ban, that dropped to 36,000 likes and shares. Yet 11 of his 89 statements after the ban attracted as many likes or shares as the median post before the ban, if not more.

How does that happen?

Mr. Trump had long been his own best promoter on social media. The vast majority of people on Twitter and Facebook interacted directly with Mr. Trumps posts, either liking or sharing them, The Times analysis found.

But after the ban, other popular social media accounts often picked up his messages and posted them themselves. (Last week, Mr. Trump shut down his blog, one of the places he made statements.)

On Oct. 8, Mr. Trump tweeted that the then-Democratic presidential candidate Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his running mate, Kamala Harris, lied constantly. The post was liked and shared 501,000 times on Facebook and Twitter.

On March 21, Mr. Trump published a statement on his website saying that his administration had handed over the most secure border in history. He went on to criticize the Biden administrations handling of the border crisis. Our Country is being destroyed! Mr. Trump said. The statement was liked and shared more than 661,000 times.

An Oct. 8, 2020 statement with

about half a million total likes and shares

Facebook

250,000 likes and shares on 57 posts

Donald J. Trump post

253,000 likes and shares

Twitter

250,000 likes and retweets on 2 posts

@realDonaldTrump post

248,000 likes and retweets

A March 21, 2021 statement with

about half a million total likes and shares

Facebook

390,000 likes and shares on 100 posts

President