Former President Donald Trump has made his presence felt on X, which was previously known as Twitter. This follows his surrender on charges related to an alleged plot to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results.
Notably, Trump’s X account had been “permanently” suspended in the aftermath of the Capitol riot in January 2021. However, after Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter last year, the account was reinstated. Until now, the former president had refrained from posting anything on this reactivated account.
In a striking return to the platform, Trump’s initial post featured his mugshot accompanied by the words “Never Surrender” and a link to his campaign website. This post caught the attention of Elon Musk, who later reposted it with the remark “Next-Level.”
Following the tumultuous events of the January 6, 2021 riot in Washington DC, Twitter had declared, “We have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.” Subsequently, Trump turned to Truth Social, a social media platform he launched in resemblance to Twitter. However, the platform hasn’t gained substantial traction.
Before his suspension, Twitter was Trump’s primary mode of communicating with his followers. He attributed a significant part of his successful presidential campaign to the platform, stating in 2017, “Twitter is a wonderful thing for me, because I get the word out… I might not be here talking to you right now as president if I didn’t have an honest way of getting the word out.”
Interestingly, some political experts contend that Trump’s absence from Twitter benefited him politically by keeping him out of the spotlight as he regrouped. Conversely, there are those who believe he requires a social media channel with a much broader reach than Truth Social, and X could potentially serve that purpose.
Musk’s ownership of the company fueled speculation about Trump’s potential return to the platform. Despite months of hesitance, the former president’s latest move marks a significant step. It remains uncertain whether this marks a permanent return to X or is a one-time occurrence.
Musk, however, has reason to celebrate, as Trump’s presence historically generates substantial traffic. This could potentially attract more users to a platform that has struggled to generate enough advertising revenue to cover costs. Within just a few hours of posting, Trump’s original message garnered over 36 million views and 530,000 likes.
