Donald Trump back on X.com (ex-Twitter) with a photo that is already going around the world

The former American president posted his first message on the platform after more than two years of absence, on the occasion of very special events for a decidedly colorful character.

Under the influence of several indictments in the United States, and not the least, Donald Trump regained control of an account which had been emulated and which is now under close surveillance.

The return of the king… of tweets

Since January 8, 2021, the businessman and former American president had not posted anything on his Twitter account, or rather X.com. And there is a very good reason for that: the platform had banned him following the events at the Capitol, fearing a “ risk of further incitement to violence “. This measure caused a stir at the time, because if Donald Trump had lost the election, he was still in office at that time. The banishment of such a figure has definitely raised awareness of the power of social networks on our societies, both on the part of their owners and their users.

Since then, things have changed a lot. While Donald Trump has (almost) swapped his hat as a loser ready to resist institutions for that of the next candidate for the US presidential elections, Twitter has found a new owner in the person of Elon Musk. The latter is determined to change the game on the side of the late blue bird, now X.com, and to bring freedom of expression up to date, at least as he conceives it.

Thus, in November 2022, after millions of users of the social network had voted 51.8% in favor of the return of the former president, his account was restored. But the interested party never followed up, preferring his new platform, Truth Social. At least until yesterday, when the heavy silence that reigned over his account was broken by the publication of a photo, and not just any photo. This is the first mug shot ever taken of a former US president: his own.

Why this return now?

The photo was taken in a jail in Fulton County, United States, as part of one of the court cases involving Trump and some of his associates. The image was quickly revealed, and many media were quick to share it. But they weren’t the only ones, as apparently this was the perfect opportunity for the former US president to return to X.com. In his post, the photo is accompanied by the message “ Never surrender! and a link to a fundraiser to support it.

This comeback comes at a very special time for Donald Trump, since his account on X.com is now being watched very closely by American justice. If the businessman may have to be cautious, he might need the social network to carry out his presidential campaign. Indeed, the platform is still occupied by many of its potential voters and remains for the moment a platform of choice for expressing its opinions. Especially since the exclusivity contract between Truth Social and the former American president has not been renewed, which means that the latter is definitely free to publish where he wants, when he wants, and whatever his current preferences.

These could quickly turn again to Elon Musk’s social network. If the two businessmen do not always get along well despite their respective eccentricities, X.com has attracted a certain Tucker Carlson, former flagship presenter of FoxNews, a TV channel very close to the American right. He set his sights on the platform and decided to broadcast his own talk show there, in which Trump recently participated. Truth Social is not necessarily the best place to be heard by all Republican voters, let alone the rest of the United States. X.com could be a good compromise for the former US president, whose latest post is a splendid self-promotional stunt that lives up to his reputation. It remains to be seen whether he will find his marks with the former blue bird, and whether this will have an impact on the business of Elon Musk, whose next actions are difficult to predict.

Source : The Verge