Will Donald Trump's Facebook Account Return?

Donald Trump may be back online as Facebook’s oversight board prepares to announce its decision on his expulsion from the platform. The former president was given the boot a day after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and the decision Wednesday is certain to attract political controversy from one side or the other.

The Capitol riot also cost Trump his Twitter and YouTube accounts. Twitter has banned him permanently, but Youtube has said he’ll be gone until the risk of violence from his supporters has subsided.

Facebook’s decision-making process went well beyond its allocated 90 days following his Jan. 7 ban. The board — it's made up of lawyers, academics and experts — received over 9,000 comments from the public on Trump’s case, more than all previous cases combined.

While Trump’s exile from social media was welcomed by Democrats, Republicans excoriated it as censorship. The rift between conservatives and big industry has only grown following widespread condemnation of Republican efforts to suppress voter turnout.

Trump, meanwhile, has suffered a substantially diminished public presence after losing both the presidency and much of his online platform.

He initially went “ballistic” after his Twitter ban, according to Politico, and attempted to tweet from other accounts that were subsequently banned. Trump also considered creating his own social media platform, although that’s yet to pan out and conservative platforms have a history of failure.

Facebook’s decision will be made public on its website on May 5 around 9:00 a.m. ET.