- Mark Meadows lamented the Facebook Oversight Board's decision Wednesday.
- The former Trump chief of staff said the ban is "a sad day for America."
- Meadows also indicated Trump's ban will make Republicans more likely to support anti-trust bills.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows decried the Facebook Oversight Board's decision Wednesday morning to uphold former President Donald Trump's ban.
"It's a sad day for America," Meadows said during an appearance on Fox News.
-Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) May 5, 2021
Meadows' reaction came right as the news arrived, with anchor Bill Hemmer reading the top line of the decision live on-air.
After Facebook shut down Trump's account following the January 6 insurrection on Capitol Hill, the matter was referred to the Oversight Board for further review.
"The Board has upheld Facebook's decision on January 7 to suspend then-President Trump from Facebook and Instagram. Trump's posts during the Capitol riot severely violated Facebook's rules and encouraged and legitimized violence," the Oversight Board said in a tweet.
However, the board added that it was "not appropriate" for Facebook to "impose the indeterminate and standardless penalty of indefinite suspension."
Beyond the specifics of Trump's ban, Meadows indicated that the decision may make Congressional Republicans more in favor of anti-trust legislation to break up big tech companies.
"It's a sad day for Facebook, 'cause I can tell you, a number of members of Congress are now looking at, do they break up Facebook?" Meadows said. "Do they make sure that they don't have a monopoly?"