YouTube lifts restrictions on Donald Trump's channel after Jan. 6 riot sparked suspension

YouTube announced that former President Donald Trump’s channel is no longer restricted and he can upload new content after a two-year suspension because of the Jan. 6, 2001, Capitol riot.  

“We carefully evaluated the continued risk of real-world violence, balancing that with the importance of preserving the opportunity for voters to hear equally from major national candidates in the run up to an election," Leslie Miller, vice president of YouTube Public Policy, said in a statement to USA TODAY.  

“This channel will continue to be subject to our policies, just like any other channel on YouTube,” Miller added.  

USA TODAY has reached out to Trump for comment. As of Friday morning, Trump’s channel had more than 2.6 million subscribers.

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Trump's YouTube, Facebook, Twitter accounts restricted after Jan. 6

In the weeks after the riot at the U.S. Capitol, when a mob supporting the former president attempted the disrupt Congress’s certification of the 2020 presidential election, Trump was barred from a slate of social media and video platforms, including YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.  

Though Trump’s YouTube channel was not taken down, it was barred from uploading new videos or livestreams. The platform also disabled comments on videos on Trump’s channel.

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said earlier this year that it would reinstate Trump’s accounts. Trump was also allowed to reclaim his Twitter account last year.

After Jan. 6, YouTube also removed some videos from Trump's channel that violated its policies, according to Axios, which first reported that YouTube would lift restrictions on Trump's channel. Those videos will not return to Trump's channel. 

Contributing: Jessica Guynn and Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY