But when Trump stood in his resort town of Mara Lago in November last year to announce his re-running for the presidency, he took a workaround even after he was officially kicked off the platform in 2021. The ongoing advertising, fundraising, and political list building was nearly grounded. stop. For the first time in months, even his political action committee, Save America, has all but stopped pushing new polls, pitches and products to potential supporters. As a presidential candidate, Trump could not appeal directly.
Wednesday’s Meta’s decision to allow Trump back into the network reveals how to effectively resume financial partnerships that have proven crucial to Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns, giving him money. giving him his goods. Most of the ads Trump and his group post on his Facebook contain links to pages where voters can donate or provide contact information.
Trump’s aides are expected to move quickly to take advantage of this new opportunity, with new owner Elon Musk lifting the suspension of Trump’s account and a ban on political advertising. We are also considering returning to Twitter, which was implemented during the 2020 campaign.
“It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when. Trump’s longtime adviser Jason Miller described Facebook as the ‘rocket fuel’ of Trump’s fundraising programme. “This is something that is sorely needed in 2024.”
The decision, which critics called reckless and dangerous, came at a crucial time in the early stages of the 2024 primary. Trump is the only declared Republican nominee, but his high-profile rival is seeking to run as he struggles to rekindle the support he once enjoyed in the party.
Trump raised $378 million from donors under $200 in the 2020 election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. This is about 49% of his funds. It’s not clear how much donations from Instagram and Facebook are, but those platforms are generally seen as the primary vehicle for soliciting small donors.
Trump’s Facebook page already has 34 million followers. That’s seven times his number of followers on his Truth Social, his social network he partially owns. A Republican political consultant considers Facebook, older and more conservative than other platforms, to be one of the best ways to reach donors. His 46% of Republican donors use Facebook every day, according to the Center for Campaign Innovation, a conservative nonprofit and research group.
“Generally speaking, Facebook and other social platforms are good at fundraising and acquisition campaigns, but bad at persuasion and mobilization campaigns,” said Mark Jablonowski, Democratic Digital Strategist at DSPolitical. “That’s the really important thing about Facebook allowing Trump to come back on the platform. It’s going to be a big win for their campaign because he’ll be able to support his campaign, which is currently not doing very well.” am.”
The Trump team’s digital fundraising has declined in recent months after surging during last summer’s Mar-a-Lago attack and in the days before and after the campaign, according to people familiar with the matter. Facebook’s previous interpretation of Trump’s suspension played a role in its fundraising in recent weeks.
Previously, Trump’s political campaigns were allowed to advertise on the platform as long as they didn’t use his “voice” in the ads, according to a company spokesperson. It is no longer possible to use an account bearing his name on Facebook or Instagram, or to appeal directly to voters or donors.
Mehta blocked Trump from posting on the platform after praising and encouraging the mob that stormed the Capitol in an attack that left several dead and many injured. The company then said it would impose a two-year suspension, after which it would re-evaluate whether it was safe enough to restore the account.
Meta’s president of public affairs Nick Clegg wrote in a blog post Wednesday that the company had determined that “the serious risks to public safety that existed in January 2021 have receded sufficiently,” citing Trump once again. platform with voices. He said new “guardrails” would be put in place to deter and punish Trump if he “posts more violating content.”
“We need to draw a line between content that is harmful and should be removed, and content that is offensive and inaccurate, but still part of the rough and depraved life of a free society. , we believe it is possible,” wrote Clegg.
Meta’s move said Trump’s continued dissemination of false information and threats, especially from Democrats, made returning him to the platform a dangerous proposition under any circumstances. “Your decision will lead to more harm done to us and our family.” murmured Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (Democrat) faces armed protesters in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
Trump himself was far more central to Facebook in funding his political activism, according to people familiar with his political activism who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity. Regardless, I’ve never been more interested in Facebook than Twitter. Discuss internal issues. In the past, the aide would simply repost his messages on his Facebook on his Twitter, these people said. Facebook is seen as more of a “money-making vehicle” than Twitter, and advisers were frustrated that his suspension would make it harder to raise funds, two former advisers said.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (Republican), the 2024 presidential candidate, has gained support among major donors, has taken steps to facilitate grassroots We spent about $15,000 on advertising on our platform in one day. That compares to former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spending about $3,000 and former Vice President Mike Pence and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley not spending in hopes of running for president. ads ask users to complete surveys or sign petitions, providing valuable contact information for future campaigns.
The long-term impact of Wednesday’s decision on Trump’s political stance and rival competition is unclear. Political consultants say Facebook has become a less powerful tool for political targeting in recent years as a result of changes to the site’s functionality and new privacy restrictions. “The strategy from 2016, and to some extent, not even 2020,” said Eric Wilson, a digital strategist for the Republican Party.
Categories that are no longer available for targeting ads include political beliefs and social issues. Trump’s 2016 campaign made heavy use of categories like this to target narrow segments of voters with very specific messages. Wilson said his Apple privacy changes, also introduced last year, further reduced advertising opportunities, not just on Facebook, but across the advertising industry.
“In 2016, I called it the 500-pound gorilla. By 2020, it was just a fraction. In 2016, Facebook was the biggest player in town. “It was integral to President Trump’s Facebook strategy in 2016,” said Brad Parscale, a digital strategist who served as a campaign manager during the 2020 campaign.
Neither Mr. Parscale nor Mr. Gary Covey, Trump’s longtime digital leaders, are expected to play a major role in 2024, according to people familiar with the matter.
One of Trump’s challenges is balancing his commitment to Truth Social with the need to expand his reach. It’s also a question of whether the message actually helps him if he was personally involved in creating it. One person who has worked with Trump compared Trump’s posts on social networks to President Biden’s decision to campaign “underground” during the 2020 campaign. chance of failure. Some Republicans think he has an advantage in staying with Truth Social. “It keeps him from making more glaring mistakes,” the person said.
But for most of his trajectory, he said the need for more attention would outweigh those concerns.
“Joining other platforms is a step in the right direction,” said another longtime adviser.
During the 2020 election, the liberal group Priorities USA kept data on the apparent intent of Trump’s Facebook ads, which shifted toward mobilizing voters as the election approached. Throughout the political cycle from early 2019 through Election Day, Priorities found that 31% of Trump’s Facebook spending was aimed at persuading or mobilizing voters. Meanwhile, 31% focused on building the list and 39% was spent on fundraising. .
Priority USA’s deputy executive director Nick Ahmed said much of Trump’s list-building work for 2020 will be focused on elevating niche issues, such as building a border wall, and Trump’s message already has a trend. He said the focus was on mobilizing certain voters.
“A lot of his way to victory was to expand his base, and he couldn’t convince anyone who wasn’t going to buy a MAGA hat,” Ahmed said. citing the use of advertisements asking for “We didn’t see that many in the other candidates.”
In battleground states, Operation Trump spent 54% of Facebook spending on persuasion and mobilization. The Trump campaign has also made a habit of directing Facebook ads to areas of the country planning large rallies to garner support.
Google banned Trump’s YouTube page indefinitely after the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. This policy still prevents Trump’s campaign from uploading YouTube ads to the platform. There are no new reviews for that suspension announced. Google has allowed Save America to buy search and display ads on its platform, and the new Trump campaign is allowed to do the same.
Google spokesman Michael Aciman said all ads must comply with the company’s advertising policies, including the Political Advertiser Disclosure Rule. These policies include restrictions on “content that threatens or advocates physical or mental harm.”
Trump campaign spokesman Stephen Zhang said Facebook’s decision to lift the suspension will allow Trump’s efforts to become more widespread.
“By returning to this platform, we will be able to access that universe again,” says Cheung. “We are approaching the full extent of building operations and dominating at every level, which we have already done based on the poll numbers.”
Naomi Nix contributed to this report.
