Trump wants to be reinstated on Facebook, says it 'needs us more than we need them'

Former US President Donald Trump has said that he will be holding a meeting with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to discuss the reinstatement of his Facebook account ahead of the 2024 elections.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Trump claimed that the company has lost a lot of money since he was banned from Facebook. He went on to add that Facebook "needs us more than we need them."

"It has been considered a major business mistake for them, Twitter, and others. If they took us back, it would help them greatly, and that's okay with me," Trump said. He added that Facebook "lost $700 billion since I was de-platformed."

The development comes in the backdrop of Trump announcing his presidential campaign. Trump's advisers have also written to Meta to restore his Facebook account. In a letter to Meta obtained by NBC News, they argued that the ban "dramatically distorted and inhibited public discourse" and have asked the company to remove the ban.

Meta, Facebook's parent company, has set up an internal working group to take a decision on the matter.

Social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, along with several others, banned Trump for allegedly inciting US Capitol riots on Jan. 6, 2021. A mob of Trump supporters, riled up by his repeated false claims that the November 2020 election was stolen from him, assaulted the US Capitol.

Twitter reinstated his account after Tesla CEO Elon Musk bought the platform. However, Trump has not tweeted a word since his account was restored.

Following the ban, Trump launched his own social media app called Truth Social. The app, which is very similar to the microblogging platform Twitter, is used by Trump to release statements and updates about his life.

During the launch of the app, Trump said that the new platform was an alternative to Silicon Valley internet companies that he claims are biased against him and other conservative voices.