Trump returns to X with mugshot post

After a hiatus of 30 months, Donald Trump has returned to X (formerly Twitter), with an historic post of his mugshot, taken in an Atlanta, Georgia jail while being booked on numerous felony counts

SOCIAL MEDIA TIMELINE

Jan 8, 2021: Days after Capitol riots, X bans Trump, citing risk of further incitement of violence

Feb 21, 2022: Trump launches his own social media platform, Truth Social

Nov 15: Trump launches second bid for White House

Nov 19: New X owner Elon Musk reinstates Trump’s account
   
May 2023: X begins removing accurate and visible video viewing counters
      
Aug 23: Trump opts out of Republican primary debate in Milwaukee, instead choosing live interview with Tucker Carlson on his X page
         
Aug 24: Trump shares mugshot – his first post on X in more than two years

Trump claims interview has been viewed 230m times – “... more than double the Super Bowl!”
230m*
   
Trump’s X post garners more than 14 million views in less than one hour
          
15m* News outlet Mashable, using old Twitter app running on Android, which retains video viewing counter, claims views are substantially less

Divisive figure Trump’s return to X will be welcome news to Musk, who has seen marked decline in user numbers, and advertising revenue, since he took over

  
*Data as of Aug 24. Note: Twitter renamed X on April 4, 2023

Sources: Reuters, Bloomberg, Mashable, X Pictures: X, Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS