Three years since the infamous January 6th 2021 Capitol Hill riots, finally, the return of Donald Trump to social media is complete, marked by his interview to Elon Musk, owner of X.
after seemingly condoning the insurrection that defied the election of Joe Biden as President, Trump was banned from one social media after the other. From Meta (Facebook) to Instagram to X (Twitter). The tech savvy billionaire was frozen out of the social media spaces.
Known for his outspoken and direct nature, Trump has courted numerous controversies both on and off social media. His recent conviction for felony adding into his long list of such issues. Yet, despite the controversies the former President continues to enjoy a huge, almost cultish fanbase. He has amassed 34 million followers on Meta, 26 million on Instagram, 3 million on Youtube and a whooping 89 million on X, despite being banned for almost three years.
Trump’s accounts were slowly reinstated in 2023, with Meta claiming that it had a responsibility to allow political freedom, and the public should be able to hear from the presidential nominees. It added that US presidential candidates remain subject to the same Community Standards as all Facebook and Instagram users, including those policies designed to prevent hate speech and incitement to violence.
Exasperated by the bans, Trump had responded by launching his own social media platform, Truth Social. However the platform was only semi successful with an active user base of 5 million, dwarfed considerably by X’s estimated 368 million and Meta’s 2.9 billion. His campaign has clearly noted that the former President needs utilize all platforms at his disposal as the elections draw closer.
Before his ban for inciting riots and spreading mass disinformation, Trump’s social media posts were often incredibly viral, popular, controversial and eye-catching. Especially his X account, where he enjoys incredible popularity and reach, the platform was quite crucial in him winning his first term as President.
Elon Musk had administered a poll whether to reinstate Trump, which had a 51 percent voting in his favour. And now, Musk has himself taken the interview of the former President to mark the billionaire’s return to his favourite marauding space.
It remains to be seen what will be the impact of his return from social media exile. But one thing is assured, Trump will continue to push the lines on these platforms to get the audience and eye space he needs for his return to the presidential office.
-by Jyotirmay Kaushal