In the early hours of Friday morning, President-elect Donald Trump returned to a familiar antic many Americans remember well: the flurry of midnight posts on X, formerly Twitter, that dominated the platform during his presidency. For the first time since his reinstatement on the platform, Trump served up rapid-fire commentary, unfiltered and unmistakably his, setting the stage for a new chapter in his political saga.
POTUS Purged
Trump’s departure from then-Twitter came in 2021, following the events at the Capitol on January 6th. The platform permanently suspended his account, citing the alleged risk of further incitement of violence.
Twitter wrote in a statement:
After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them — specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter — we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,”
For Trump, this was a yuge blow, as Twitter had been his primary tool for communicating directly with the American public and bypassing mainstream media, which he infamously labeled “fake news.”
The Turn to Truth
In response to his de-platforming, Trump invested in creating Truth Social, a platform designed as an alternative for conservative voices. Truth Social was meant to be a refuge for free speech and a way for Trump to maintain his direct line of communication with his supporters. While the platform gained traction among his base, its reach and impact never fully matched the global stage that Twitter provided.
Musk’s Maneuver and Don’s Defiance
In late 2022, Elon Musk reinstated Trump’s Twitter account after purchasing the platform and implementing sweeping changes to its content moderation policies. Despite his account being active, Trump initially refrained from posting, focusing instead on Truth Social.
On July 23, 2023, Musk officially rebranded Twitter to X, declaring it “the everything app.” Trump resumed posting on X, formerly Twitter, on August 24 of the same year.
His first post after being reinstated featured his now-famous mugshot taken during his arrest in Fulton County, Georgia. The post has 333 million views to date.
The image read:
“MUG SHOT – AUGUST 24, 2023, ELECTION INTERFERENCE, NEVER SURRENDER!”
https://t.co/MlIKklPSJT pic.twitter.com/Mcbf2xozsY
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2023
Following this dramatic re-entry, Trump’s posts began ramping up ahead of the 2024 election season. However, his Friday midnight tirade brings back a dynamic that had been absent for nearly three years.
The Return of Rapid-fire Rhetoric
Publishing four separate posts in the span of two minutes, Trump addressed everything from tariffs to terrorism and the national intelligence agencies.
In his first post of the series, he wrote:
The Tariffs, and Tariffs alone, created this vast wealth for our Country. Then we switched over to Income Tax. We were never so wealthy as during this period. Tariffs will pay off our debt and, MAKE AMERICA WEALTHY AGAIN!
Next, he turned his attention to President Joe Biden and the impacts of his immigration policies, linking them to terrorism.
Trump wrote:
With the Biden “Open Border’s Policy” I said, many times during Rallies, and elsewhere, that Radical Islamic Terrorism, and other forms of violent crime, will become so bad in America that it will become hard to even imagine or believe. That time has come, only worse than ever imagined.
Joe Biden is the WORST PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICA, A COMPLETE AND TOTAL DISASTER. What he and his group of Election Interfering “thugs” have done to our Country will not soon be forgotten! MAGA
In a separate post, Trump accused the Justice Department, FBI, and Democratic prosecutors of prioritizing attacks on him over protecting Americans.
Trump called for an immediate CIA intervention, writing:
Our Country is a disaster, a laughing stock all over the World! This is what happens when you have OPEN BORDERS, with weak, ineffective, and virtually nonexistent leadership.
The DOJ, FBI, and Democrat state and local prosecutors have not done their job. They are incompetent and corrupt, having spent all of their waking hours unlawfully attacking their political opponent, ME, rather than focusing on protecting Americans from the outside and inside violent SCUM that has infiltrated all aspects of our government, and our Nation itself. Democrats should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this to happen to our Country.
The CIA must get involved, NOW, before it is too late. The USA is breaking down – A violent erosion of Safety, National Security, and Democracy is taking place all across our Nation. Only strength and powerful leadership will stop it. See you on January 20th. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
The incoming president finished the rapid-fire session by writing, “TRUMP WAS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING!”
TRUMP WAS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2025
As the final days of Joe Biden’s presidency drag on, the nation’s news headlines paint a grim picture—from violent and deadly crimes on the NYC subway system to a mass casualty New Year’s Eve attack in New Orleans.
Trump’s midnight missives aren’t just a throwback—they’re a preview. With caps-locked declarations and biting critiques, he’s firing up his base and signaling a return to the bold leadership style that defined his presidency.
For Trump and his supporters, January 20 can’t arrive fast enough.
