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Trump’s Bold Return to Social Media
Former President Donald Trump returned to the social media site, previously known as Twitter, on Thursday with a post that showed a mugshot from his booking in Fulton County Jail in Georgia, where he began his day.
Alongside his post appealing for donations, Trump managed to directly reach his audience once again, as he was banned by Twitter and other social media platforms following the attack on the Capitol by his supporters on January 6, 2021.
On November 19, the app, now operating under the name App X, under the leadership of billionaire Elon Musk, flipped its stance and declared itself a “free speech absolutist,” who had acquired Twitter on October 2.
With over 88 million followers when Twitter suspended his account, Trump posted an image of a mugshot on Thursday with the caption: “Election interference! Never concede!” The post garnered over 14 million views within 50 minutes of going live.
Following the violence and incitement risks after the attack on the U.S. Capitol, Twitter permanently suspended His account in January 2021.
He claimed that his defeat in the 2020 elections was due to widespread voter fraud and used Twitter and other social media platforms to propagate other conspiracy theories.
On November 15, Trump started hinting at a bid to reclaim the White House in 2024.
On Wednesday, He chose an option to step away from a Republican primary debate on Fox News, attracting millions of viewers who tuned in to watch or at least scroll through the exchange on App X.
According to site metrics, the confrontation between Trump and conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, lasting 46 minutes, was viewed approximately 250 million times by Thursday night.
On Thursday evening, Trump broke his promise to exclusively join his new platform, Truth Social, developed by his Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG) startup. He had around 6.4 million followers on Truth Social by that point.
Since starting to regularly post on the app in May, Truth Social has become the main source of direct communication for Trump with his followers. He has used Truth Social to rally his supporters, criticize his opponents, and defend his reputation amid legal investigations by states, Congress, and federal prosecutors.
A year ago, TMGT had announced a deal to go public by merging with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Digital World Acquisition Corp (DWAC), under investigation by the Department of Justice and the SEC, causing delays in its completion.
Trump’s company faces a crucial deadline, as DWAC shareholders have until September 5, 10 AM, to vote to extend DWAC’s deadline to complete the merger with TMTG. If DWAC doesn’t receive the votes, SPAC will be dissolved on September 8.
In 2021, Trump filed a lawsuit against Twitter, arguing that this step violated his rights to free speech under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
A federal judge in California dismissed the case, and a federal appeals court in Pasadena, California, is preparing to hear the dispute on October 4. Trump’s lawyers have argued that his claims are still viable, and the appeal could proceed despite his reinstatement.