Will he or won’t he (return to Twitter)?
According to a report from Rolling Stone magazine, Trump apparently plans to return the Elon Musk-owned social media platform — there’s just the matter of a few contractual obligations that need some ironing out first.
Trump has reportedly told his inner circle that he doesn’t want to renew his contract with Truth Social’s parent company, TMTG, per Rolling Stone’s sources.
That contract binds Trump to timed exclusivity on Truth Social first.
According to SEC filings reported by Business Insider, Trump is contractually obligated to wait six hours after posting on Truth before posting the same content on any other social media platform.
The restriction only applies to non-political content, however. Trump is allowed to post “political messaging, political fundraising or get-out-the vote efforts” messaging on any platform at any time.
Musk, who used a Twitter poll to make his decision, opted to reinstate Trump to Twitter in November. The former president was kicked off of Twitter on Jan. 8, 2021 by the regime that preceded Musk.
Will Trump become the Republican nominee in 2024?
Yes: 90% (43 Votes)
No: 10% (5 Votes)
Despite the reinstatement, Trump has yet to tweet from his @realDonaldTrump Twitter account. That account still boasts 87.7 million followers, despite being an inactive one.
Trump’s last tweet is from Jan. 8, 2021:
To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2021
For Trump, this moves makes a ton of sense. Those 87.7 million followers represent quite the digital loudspeaker. Even if you cut that number in half to account for anyone who may hate-follow the former president, that’s over 40 million people whose ears are firmly abreast on all things Trump via Twitter.
To say that Twitter was an invaluable tool for Trump during his stunning 2016 campaign would be an understatement. Whereas his peers were still working through various channels and PR firms to get a message out, Trump was able to get his raw, unvarnished, uncensored takes immediately to his followers.
That connection and honesty was an indelible aspect of Trump’s appeal. He wasn’t some politician living in an ivory tower talking down to his peasants. No, he was actively engaged in the public square. That made a difference in 2016.
And while recapturing some of that 2016 magic heading into the 2024 elections is almost certainly a factor in Trump’s potential return to Twitter, there is also the matter of the state of Truth Social.
In short: It’s not looking great for the Twitter alternative.
Setback after setback has really derailed any early momentum Truth Social had coming out of the gate.
And recent reports about potential financial woes certainly haven’t helped the perception that Truth Social is struggling.
So whether Trump is fleeing a sinking ship, laying the tracks for a triumphant 2024 campaign, or some combination of the two, it does appear the former president’s return to Twitter is imminent.
That’s incredible news for his most ardent supporters.
And indelibly depressing news for his most critical naysayers.
