Trump Says Meta Needs Him 'More Than We Need Them' After Requesting Reinstatement

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he is in talks with Meta about restoring his Facebook account and called his expulsion from social media networks a major business mistake for them.

In an interview with Fox News Digital , just a day after his campaign reportedly wrote to Meta requesting reinstatement of his account , Trump claimed his exile has cost the company $700 billion.

If they took us back, it would help them greatly, and thats OK with me, Trump said. But they need us more than we need them.

Meta banned Trump indefinitely following the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the time said the risk of allowing Trump to continue to use the platform after he undermined the peaceful transfer of power would be too great.

But later that year, Meta revised its approach after its expert-led oversight boards criticism that it was not appropriate for Facebook to impose the indeterminate and standardless penalty of indefinite suspension.

In June 2021, Nick Clegg, the companys vice president of global affairs, said Trumps ban would last for two years from the date of his Jan. 7, 2021, suspension.

Meta is expected to announce a reinstatement decision soon.

Trumps campaign on Tuesday sent a letter to Clegg, Zuckerberg and Joel Kaplan, Facebooks vice president of global public policy, requesting a meeting. The Trump ban, the letter alleged, has dramatically distorted and inhibited the public discourse.

Your Support Has Never Been More Critical

Other news outlets have retreated behind paywalls. At HuffPost, we believe journalism should be free for everyone.

Would you help us provide essential information to our readers during this critical time? We can't do it without you.

Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.

You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you.

Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all.

Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all.

Support HuffPost

Every day that President Trumps political voice remains silenced furthers an inappropriate interference in the American political and election process, the letter stated, according to a copy obtained by NBC News .

Other social media companies, including Twitter and YouTube, also banned Trump in the aftermath of Jan. 6. Billionaire Elon Musk reinstated Trumps Twitter account in November, but Trump has yet to tweet.

Trump has continued posting on his own Truth Social platform, but his reach there is much narrower than with major platforms. His Truth Social account boasts 4.82 million followers. His Twitter account has 87.7 million.