Trump posts on Facebook for first time since January 6, 2021

(CNN) Former President Donald Trump has posted on Facebook for the first time since January 6, 2021, the day that rioters attacked the US Capitol.

“I’M BACK!” Trump wrote in the post, which included a short CNN clip of him from the night he was elected president during which he said: “Sorry to keep you waiting. Complicated business. Complicated.”

Trump’s return to Facebook restores his access to a critical fundraising tool at the outset of the 2024 presidential race, as several potential rivals line up to challenge Trump in his bid to become the GOP’s nominee for the third consecutive election, and as some high dollar donors indicate a desire to back an alternative.

The former president’s Facebook and Instagram accounts had been banned for two years following the Capitol riot. They were restored early last month after the Trump’s 2024 campaign asked Meta, the platforms’ parent company, to unblock his Facebook account.

Trump’s posts on January 6, 2021, included election lies and an attack on then-Vice President Mike Pence, before calling on rioters to be peaceful. The House select committee that investigated January 6 used several of the former president’s social media posts from that day to show his inaction as the violence unfolded.

Though Twitter was Trump’s preferred messaging platform in previous elections, he has massive reach on Facebook and Instagram — 34 million followers and 23 million followers, respectively. His campaigns have spent millions running ads using Facebook’s targeted advertising tools.

Trump’s campaign staffers have been eager for the former president to reengage on Facebook because doing so would help them access an enormous field of potential donors.

“It makes my job a lot easier,” one adviser who works on outreach and fundraising said.

The move also comes as Trump’s team prepares for potential criminal charges to be brought against the former president in New York. Trump aides have spent several days planning a response strategy that includes how to amplify their messaging, including through social media.

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