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A few days ago, Elon Musk posted a poll on Twitter for users to decide whether Donald Trump’s account should be cleared. Around 15 million people voted and the option of his return won, which on Saturday night became effective.
Since then, all eyes have been on the former president’s account to see if he posts anything, but his last tweet is still dated January 8, 2021. Most likely, Donald Trump will not post on Twitter again… for now.
For some time now, Trump has been explaining that he would not return to Twitter even if he were unblocked, and that he would only be on Truth Social, the social network he helped create. This very same weekend, shortly before the poll closed, Donald Trump declared at an event that he would stand by his position.
It seems logical to think that Trump will remain exclusive to his own social network and will not post on the competition, especially after the treatment he has received in the past. But it also makes perfect sense that Trump is strategically waiting patiently so that, when the time comes, his return to Twitter will have maximum impact.
The mere restoration of his account has had a worldwide media reach, and to have posted immediately would have only added to the crest of the wave a bit. However, as the days, weeks or months go by without posting, a hypothetical Trump tweet would be a veritable publicity tsunami.
A tweet now would be seen as former President Trump’s; a tweet months from now would be 2024 Candidate Trump’s. It’s an ace in the hole of enormous value that Trump will be able to draw on in the GOP primaries or, eventually, for the 2024 election. Will he take advantage of it?
Ignacio Manuel García Medina, Business Management teacher. Artist and lecturer specialized in Popular Culture for various platforms. Presenter of the program "Pop Libertario" for the Juan de Mariana Institute. Lives in the Canary Islands, Spain // Ignacio M. García Medina es profesor de Gestión de Empresas. Es miembro del Instituto Juan de Mariana y conferenciante especializado en Cultura Popular e ideas de la Libertad.
Social Networks: @ignaciomgm