San Francisco, January 19: Former US President Donald Trump is reportedly looking to regain control of his powerful social media accounts in order to make a comeback for the White House.

Trump's campaign is formally petitioning Facebook's parent company Meta to unblock his account, which was locked two years ago in response to the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, reports NBC News. Donald Trump Back on Twitter After Nearly Two Years As Elon Musk Reinstates Former US President's Once-Blocked Account.

According to a copy reviewed by NBC News, Trump's campaign wrote in its letter to Meta, "We believe that the ban on President Trump's account on Facebook has dramatically distorted and inhibited the public discourse."

The campaign however, did not threaten a lawsuit. Instead, it emphasised the importance of free speech and petitioned Meta for a "meeting to discuss President Trump's prompt reinstatement to the platform". Donald Trump Announces His Third Bid for 2024 US Presidential Election, Attacks Joe Biden.

However, a Meta spokesperson said the company "will announce a decision in the coming weeks in accordance with the process we laid out", NBC News reported. On January 7, Facebook ultimately decided to impose a limited ban on Trump, which would be reviewed after two years.

Twitter had planned a permanent ban, but on November 19, 2022, new owner Elon Musk reinstated Trump's account and then criticised the company's previous leadership for the ban.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 19, 2023 03:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).