Can Donald Trump resist the siren song of Twitter? - CNN

CNN  — 

Elon Musk now owns Twitter. Which, among different things, means that the imperishable prohibition of erstwhile President Donald Trump from the societal media tract could soon end.

“I bash deliberation it was not close to prohibition Donald Trump, I deliberation that was a mistake,” Musk said successful May. “I would reverse the perma-ban. … Banning Trump from Twitter didn’t extremity Trump’s voice, it volition amplify it among the close and this is wherefore it’s morally incorrect and level retired stupid.”

Musk has not yet reversed the ban, which was instituted by Twitter pursuing the January 6, 2021, riot astatine the US Capitol.

But Trump, successful what amounts to a preemptive strike, enactment retired his ain connection connected Musk’s takeover of Twitter utilizing his ain societal media level Truth Social.

“TRUTH SOCIAL has go somewhat of a phenomena,” Trump wrote Friday morning. “I americium precise blessed that Twitter present is successful sane hands and volition nary longer beryllium tally by Radical Left Lunatics and Maniacs that genuinely hatred retired country,” Trump wrote, adding: “I LOVE TRUTH.”

Which, well, OK.

Trump’s bluster astir Truth Social aside, the information remains that Twitter is simply a MUCH bigger level for the erstwhile president. (Truth Social was, arsenic of Friday morning, the 43rd astir downloaded escaped societal media app successful the Apple Store.)

There are besides different problems with Truth Social, including a bid of legal and regulatory troubles.

As it became wide that, aft overmuch machination, Musk’s woody to bargain Twitter would spell through, shares of the peculiar intent acquisition institution designed to instrumentality Truth Social nationalist plummeted.

There’s besides the contented of reach. Trump has 4.37 cardinal followers connected Truth Social, a miniscule fig compared to the 88 cardinal helium had connected Twitter earlier helium was banned.

And Trump has been unfastened astir however captious Twitter was to the emergence of his governmental prospects.

“I uncertainty I would beryllium present if it weren’t for societal media, to beryllium honorable with you,” said Trump successful a 2017 interrogation connected Fox Business. “Tweeting is similar a typewriter – erstwhile I enactment it out, you enactment it instantly connected your show. When idiosyncratic says thing astir me, I americium capable to spell bing, bing, bing and I instrumentality attraction of it. The different way, I would ne'er beryllium get the connection out.”

Trump, however, has been insistent that helium would not rejoin Twitter.

“I won’t beryllium going backmost connected Twitter,” Trump said successful April. “I similar Elon Musk. I similar him a lot. He’s an fantabulous individual. We did a batch for Twitter erstwhile I was successful the White House. I was disappointed by the mode I was treated by Twitter.”

That’s easier to accidental earlier the idiosyncratic who says helium volition extremity your prohibition owns the company.

Trump has competing interests here.

It is beyond uncertainty that helium is MUCH much influential via Twitter than helium apt ever volition beryllium connected Truth Social. His scope – and his quality to thrust the governmental communicative – has been massively compromised by his prohibition from Twitter. If Trump did determine to spell backmost – assuming Musk makes bully connected his connection to un-ban the erstwhile president – helium would instantly reassert that news-driving ability.

On the different hand, Trump has a fiscal involvement successful keeping Truth Social live and relevant. Trump’s nett worthy roseate to $2.4 cardinal this year, according to Forbes – acknowledgment successful portion to Truth Social. As Forbes noted:

“Donald Trump, maestro of reinvention, has a caller title: tech entrepreneur. It’s a agelong for the 75-year-old, who doesn’t adjacent usage email, preferring alternatively to scrawl notes successful marker. But helium doesn’t caput jumping into ventures successful which helium has small erstwhile acquisition – and this gig should beryllium acold much lucrative than the presidency. In fact, it has already boosted his nett worthy by $430 million.”

Trump whitethorn good beryllium past caught betwixt his 2 large loves: Money and power.

My guess: He tries to person it some ways – rejoining Twitter portion inactive posting connected Truth Social. Will that work? Time volition tell.