Donald J. Trump posted on X Monday morning. This move is a win for Elon Musk, the platform’s owner. Musk has been urging Trump to return for months.
“They want to silence me because I will never let them silence you,” Trump stated in a campaign video. “They’re not coming after me. They’re coming after you.”
Trump shared the video before his scheduled interview with Musk. The interview was set to air on Spaces, X’s livestreaming feature, at 8 p.m. Eastern. He followed up with several posts. One asked, “Are you better off now than you were when I was president? Our economy is shattered. Our border has been erased. We’re a nation in decline.”
Trump’s return to X after nearly a year could boost the platform. X has faced stiff competition from new social media platforms, including Trump’s own Truth Social. X has also struggled with skeptical advertisers, especially after Musk’s lawsuit against an advertising coalition last week.
If Trump becomes active on X again, it could draw political advertisers. During his presidency, Trump used X as a megaphone for policy and to attack rivals. He started by posting nine times a day, a pace that increased over time.
Trump was banned from X, then Twitter, in 2021. This followed the storming of the U.S. Capitol by his supporters. Twitter determined that Trump’s posts incited violence, leading to his account being shut down.
Musk reinstated Trump’s account after acquiring the platform in 2022. He urged Trump to return, believing his presence would boost engagement on the site.
However, Trump created Truth Social, where he has 7 million followers. He’s obligated to post there before other platforms unless it’s about his campaign or politics.
Shares in Trump Media & Technology Group, which owns Truth Social, fell more than 4 percent after Trump began posting on X. Trump owns 60 percent of the company, but he can start selling his shares on Sept. 19 when a lockup period expires for corporate insiders.
Before Monday, Trump had posted on X only once since his reinstatement. He shared a mug shot from his 2023 booking in Georgia on racketeering charges related to trying to overturn his election loss.
Musk and Trump have grown close in recent months, talking politics regularly. Musk endorsed Trump last month, shortly after an assassination attempt against the former president. Musk has also supported Senator JD Vance, whom Trump selected as his running mate.