On Thursday, Donald Trump turned himself over to Georgia authorities and then unexpectedly returned to X (previously known as Twitter), which had been his preferred social media platform when he was president.
Trump arrived at Fulton County Jail to turn himself in ahead of the deadline issued to him and 18 of his cronies charged in the election case and two hours after leaving the jail he shared his mug shot on X, along with a link to his website and two phrases: “ELECTION INTERFERENCE” and “NEVER SURRENDER!”
This was Trump’s first post on the platform since January 8, 2021, when he wrote, “To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th.”
Previously, in November 2022, Elon Musk, the owner of X, restored Trump’s account but the former president did not return to the platform until Thursday night.
It is uncertain if Trump’s recent activity on social media is a sign of his return to the platform, or if it is just a one-time occurrence.
Trump has been regularly posting on his personal platform, Truth Social since his exclusivity agreement expired in June.
In the past, Trump was a frequent user of X even using the platform to announce policy changes while he was president.
However, during his second campaign and following his electoral defeat to Joe Biden, Trump used his Twitter account to spread baseless claims of election interference and to urge his supporters to take action.
Those posts might wind up being used in illegal activities aimed at his attempts to rig the 2020 election. Jack Smith, the special counsel, secured a search warrant to access Trump’s account and view his private correspondence.
After the violence at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, Trump’s usage of the platform eventually resulted in his “permanent suspension” under the company’s former administration, which was later ended by Musk.
