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Confirmed

YouTube suspends Trump's channel, restores it two years later

On January 12, 2021, days after the Capitol riot, YouTube removed new content from Donald Trump's channel, issued a strike for inciting violence and blocked new uploads. The restriction was extended indefinitely. On March 17, 2023, YouTube lifted it, saying it had evaluated the continued risk of real-world violence.

Jan 12, 2021
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Whose side it served: Democrats

The two-year restriction silenced the leading Republican figure's channel; the 2023 restoration came as he began his 2024 campaign.

What the record shows

YouTube said the content violated its policy against inciting violence and cited the 'ongoing potential for violence.' The strike blocked uploads and livestreams for at least seven days; comments were disabled indefinitely, and the channel stayed online. CNBC reported that Wojcicki had tied lifting the restriction to when the risk of violence subsided. On March 17, 2023, YouTube VP of Public Policy Leslie Miller said the channel was no longer restricted and could upload again, subject to YouTube's policies. YouTube did not publicly identify which video triggered the January 2021 strike.

In their words

“We carefully evaluated the continued risk of real-world violence”— Leslie Miller, YouTube VP of Public Policy · source
The other side

YouTube said the restriction was a response to a specific, time-bound risk of violence after January 6, not a judgment on Trump's politics; critics said suspending a sitting president's channel set a precedent of private platforms limiting a major candidate.

Sources

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