Donald Trump plans to return to social media soon, using “his own platform” after being banned from Twitter and other outlets, a former advisor said Sunday. Trump was a prolific user of Twitter until he was dropped by the platform in January.
Twitter claimed he was inciting violence after supporters invaded the Capitol building in Washington DC. Trump’s provocative use of social media was a defining feature of his presidency, as he drew 88 million followers to Twitter and often used tweets to slam his critics or to announce personnel changes or significant policy shifts. But Twitter permanently suspended his @realDonaldTrump account after he used it to encourage people to take part in the rally that turned into the violent storming of the US Capitol on January 6. Trump was also banned, temporarilyor permanently, by other major platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat. Since leaving Washington and returning to his Mar-a-Lago resort home in Florida, the former president has kept a relatively low profile, largely relegated to issuing occasional news releases.
Trump’s return would likely galvanize a conservative movement that’s been fractured strict controls on other social media services and deplatforming by service providers. The former president has not stated what he plans to do in the future vis-a-vis politics, aside from saying that he was not done at one point. Despite Trump’s defeat in November by Democrat Joe Biden, he remains influential in the Republican Party and has not ruled out a third run for president in 2024.
