From the Desk of Donald J Trump: why has his site been shut down - and is Trump still banned on Twitter?

Following his ban from social media sites Facebook and Twitter issued earlier this year, former US President Donald Trump tried his hand at launching his own website, originally touted as an alternative social media platform.

However, the site was live for a little less than a month before it was wiped from the internet.

This is what you need to know about From the Desk of Donald J Trump

What was From the Desk of Donald J Trump?

After months of teasing the creation of a new social media platform, the new site was launched in early May - however there appeared to be much confusion about what the website actually was.

Despite telling Fox News in March that Trump would be “returning to social media in probably about two or three months, with his own platform”, Jason Miller, a senior aide for Trump, took to Twitter at the time to clarify that the new site is not actually a social media platform.

After the site launched, Miller had Tweeted: “President Trump’s website is a great resource to find his latest statements and highlights from his first term in office, but this is not a new social media platform.

“We’ll have additional information coming on that front in the very near future.”

How did the website work?

When the website was live, the feed featured Tweet style posts from Trump, and allowed users to share these posts on Facebook and Twitter.

However, despite the website stating that it was “a place to speak freely and safely” there was no option for users to reply to these posts, make their own, or even make an account.

Users could sign up for alerts to get a notification whenever Trump posts a new message.

Visitors were also encouraged to “contribute” to Trump as well, with the platform redirecting users to a website that allowed them to donate money to the Make America Great Again movement. There was also a shop that users could visit, with merchandise like Trump hats, tshirts and mugs.

Why has the site been taken down?

However, the site from the former US President appeared to be short lived, as it has been shut down for good.

Speaking to CNBC, Trump senior aide Jason Miller said that it would “not be returning” and that “it was just auxiliary to the broader efforts [they] have and are working on”.

Miller added: “Hoping to have more information on the broader efforts soon, but I do not have a precise awareness of timing.”

When asked on Twitter whether the move was “a precursor to [Trump] joining another social media platform”, Miller responded, saying: “Yes, actually, it is. Stay tuned!”

Is Trump still banned from Twitter and Facebook?

On Friday 8 January, Twitter announced in a blog post that account @realDonaldTrump had been issued a permanent suspension.

Twitter said: “After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them — specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter — we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.”

After analysis of a number of Tweets from Trump, Twitter concluded that they violated the social media platforms Glorification of Violence policy, which aims to prevent inspiring violence.

According to Twitters Ban Evasion Policy, a user that has been given a permanent suspension cannot circumvent this decision, meaning that Trump cannot go ahead and use a different account to post on the platform.

Twitter explains: “If an account has been permanently suspended for severe violations of the Twitter Rules, Twitter reserves the right to also permanently suspend any other account we believe the same account holder or entity may be operating in violation of our earlier suspension, regardless of when the other account was created.”

Trump was also handed an “indefinite” ban on Facebook as well in January, following the attack on the US Capitol.

On Wednesday 5 May, the Facebook Oversight Board announced that the ban from Facebook and Instagram the former US President was issued would continue to be upheld.

While The Facebook Oversight Board has extended the ban against Trump, it also criticised the indefinite nature of the ban, and said it was beyond the scope of Facebook’s normal penalties.

The board is an independent group created by Facebook to make decisions on difficult questions regarding freedom of expression online.

YouTube also stated that it would reactivate Trump’s account when the threat of “real world violence” reduces.