Amid the finalization of Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, former president Trump, who was permanently banned from the platform in January 2021, said he will be staying on Truth Social, the social media company he created, even if his old account gets reinstated.
He called Truth a “better” and “safe” alternative to Twitter that feels “like home” in an interview with Fox News Friday. Trump applauded Musk for buying Twitter, saying: “I like Elon and I wish him a lot of luck. I hope he does well with it.”
Acknowledging the influence he once commanded on the site, Trump said, “I don’t think Twitter can be successful without me.” His account was one of many held by mostly right-wing political personalities that were permanently removed from the site for various speech infractions. Certain accounts, such as that of popular conservative satire site The Babylon Bee, were suspended temporarily for prohibited content violations. Musk has suggested he will relax some of the content moderation policies to make Twitter a freer public forum.
But even if Musk reverses Trump’s ban, the former president didn’t confirm to the outlet whether he would rejoin the community. “I am staying on Truth. I like it better, I like the way it works, I like Elon, but I’m staying on Truth,” he said.
Trump was deplatformed from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat after the January 6 Capitol Riot. The companies cited the danger that his rhetoric could further inflame the situation. That was a bad business call, Trump told Fox News, claiming that these networks are declining now partly as a consequence of his banishment.
“Facebook is now down $80 billion and boring,” Trump said. “Twitter has been taken over, and, if it wasn’t for me, it would have never been taken over. No one would have even thought about it.”
Since he was removed from Twitter, Trump has maintained contact with his supporters via press releases and from Truth Social, which launched earlier this year. Trump suggested that if he announces another run for president for 2024, he will conduct his campaign communications only on Truth. He said he’s confident that his messages would be well circulated if he used Truth.
“If I choose to run, I will only use Truth,” he said. “When I put out a Truth, it is all over the place.”