• Last week reports suggested Donald Trump was contemplating a return to Facebook and Twitter as he prepares for a 2024 presidential run.
• Now the former president could be leaving Truth Social, which he began in response to a mass social media de-platforming.
• Interestingly though, he is said to have an exclusivity contract with Truth Social, which may impact his return to other mainstream platforms.

Last week we reported on Donald Trump’s apparent return to mainstream social media, as his long-term bans on the likes of Facebook and Twitter looked to be coming to an end. The former US President is also working up to another run in 2024, prompting many to believe he wants to be on Twitter rather than his own Truth Social.

The “big tent” platform has had a tough go of things ever since launching in February of last year, and now Trump could be looking to jump ship for something more popular.

This according to Rolling Stone, which cites SEC filings that explain Trump is only allowed to publish on other platforms six hours after originally publishing on Truth Social.

This is part of an apparent exclusivity contract that is 18 months long and ends in June of this year. Those close to Trump say he does not intent to renew the contract, and move to the likes of Twitter instead, which has already welcomed him back with open arms under the leadership of Elon Musk.

While there are those who say Trump has no desire to return to Twitter, given how Musk has struggled to steady things at the platform ever since taking over, it could prove a fertile breeding ground for renewed Trump support.

Facebook is a little more complicated, as a full process for re-platforming Trump needs to be laid out first. There is also the Oversight Board’s damning characterisation of inaction taking against Trump, as well as calling the indefinite suspension of his account “arbitrary”.

Either way his next move will be watched closely, especially as Republican support for the former president has not waned much, despite the fallout from the Capitol Riots from 6th January 2021.

Should Trump indeed receive the Republican nomination for 2024, we could see social media platforms be compelled to allow him back on.

[Image – Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash]