Former President Donald Trump on Thursday made a sudden return to the social platform that was once his favored pedestal: X, formerly known as Twitter.
About two hours after he surrendered at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Trump posted a picture of his mug shot, a link to his website and two phrases: "ELECTION INTERFERENCE" and "NEVER SURRENDER!"
It's Trump's first post on the platform since Jan. 8, 2021, when he wrote, "To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th."
X owner Elon Musk reinstated Trump’s account in November, but he had yet to return to the platform until Thursday night.
It’s unclear whether Trump’s new post is part of a broader return to X or whether it’s a one-off. Trump has been consistently posting on his own platform, Truth Social, where he had been under an exclusivity agreement that ended in June.
Trump was once among Twitter's most prolific posters, even using it during his presidency to announce policy changes. During his second campaign and subsequent electoral loss to Joe Biden, Trump used his account to push false claims of election interference and to encourage his supporters to take action.
Those posts may end up becoming a part of the criminal efforts targeting his attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Special counsel Jack Smith obtained a search warrant for access to Trump's account, gaining access to his private messages.
Trump's use of the platform eventually led to his "permanent suspension" under the company's previous leadership in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Musk lifted the suspension.
