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For nearly two years, former president Donald Trump has been suspended from major social platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, but that is about to change very soon. The two-year suspension from Meta (parent company of Facebook) is almost over, and Elon Musk has already said that Mr. Trump is free to return to Twitter anytime he chooses. So what’s going to happen next?
Donald Trump’s new mission to make social media great again
According to Rolling Stone magazine, the Trump social media team could be planning a wild WWE-type return to social media. This would include a hype video of some kind accompanied, no doubt, by in-person campaign appearances in key Red states. Trump has already announced his presidential bid for 2024, so it’s likely that this triumphant return will be optimized for maximum political effect. A hype video would be the type of thing that might energize the base at a huge Trump campaign rally.
However, it’s not really certain if American politics is ready to welcome Trump back, even if social media is. While some die-hard fans think Trump has what it takes to become president again, there are plenty of doubters even within his own party. Part of this is Trump’s own doing. His vanity, his need to be the alpha dog no matter what, and his penchant for causing discord and rancor wherever he goes has some people wondering if he is doing more harm than good for the Republican Party. If you need more evidence of this, just follow the social media battle between Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
But what about Truth Social?
Moreover, there’s the issue of what to do about Truth Social, Mr. Trump’s personal social media platform. Trump had an 18-month contract with Truth Social, and it will end in June. As part of this contract, Trump couldn’t post to any other social media platform unless he posts that content to Truth Social first. Moreover, Trump must wait a minimum of six hours before cross-posting to other platforms, giving Truth Social the first shot at going viral with a new Trump post. The only exception to this rule is anything that is generic political messaging and “get out the vote” messaging. For everything else, Truth Social has first dibs.
Thus, the current narrative is that Trump is looking to ditch Truth Social at the first opportunity. Sources say that Trump is maneuvering behind the scenes, looking to get everything lined up ahead of his return. From Trump’s perspective, even a Facebook platform that has “guardrails” in place for the ever-controversial Trump is better than Truth Social for one simple reason: demographic reach. Truth Social never really appealed to anyone other than hard-core conservatives and the Trump faithful, but Facebook has an audience measured in the billions.
Get ready for a wild 2024
What we do know is the following: Trump wants back in the White House, and he’s going to stop at nothing to get there. He realizes the power of social media to get out his message, as well as the power of social media to drive the media narrative. That’s what he needs and what he craves. So, even if Truth Social CEO Devin Nunes says that Trump has “no interest” in going back to Twitter and Facebook, the reality is probably very different.
That means it’s already shaping up to be a wild and crazy 2024 election season. As soon as Trump’s contract with Truth Social is over in June, that’s when things might really get bonkers. If you thought social media is polarizing now, just wait until Trump’s return and the battle for the White House returns. Grab your popcorn – Trump’s new quest to make social media great again might just become the biggest blockbuster of the summer.
