When Donald Trump was banned from the social media site, ostensibly for life, he was very critical of it. Twitter stated that the permanent suspension was “due to the risk of further incitement of violence” after the Capitol Hill riots.

In response to what he called Twitter’s “censorship,” Trump even filed a lawsuit. But that “permanent” suspension now seems much less likely.

Elon Musk declared in a tweet that he would create a “council” to decide whether to allow Donald Trump to run again.

But if Trump is asked to return to the stage, you might assume that he will do so without hesitation.

After all, Donald Trump enjoys Twitter just as much as Elon Musk does. Trump used it as a means of bypassing the mainstream media and establishing a direct connection with voters.

Ironically, it was also a way for him to attract the attention of the media he insisted he avoided. He’s tweeted,” was a common refrain heard in newsrooms all over the world.

However, times have evolved. Trump may not immediately return to Twitter for a number of reasons at this time. First of all, he currently owns and runs his own social media business called “Truth Social.”

People can post “Truths” and it resembles Twitter almost exactly. Trump owns it, so he has a personal financial stake in the business’s success.

And Donald Trump is by far Truth Social’s greatest asset.

For tweeting on Twitter, Donald Trump won’t be compensated in any way. But if Truth Social takes off as a significant social media platform, he could stand to gain a lot.

Truth Social is not that at the moment.

Only 92,000 installs of Truth Social were reported by the app analysis company Sensor Tower during the previous month. To put that into perspective, Sensor Tower calculates that over that time, Twitter was installed more than 14 million times.

For a social media company, the growth is anemic and negligible. However, Trump must be present on Truth Social—and only Trump—if it is to have any chance of being significant.

It helps to explain why Trump didn’t mention in a statement that he was considering returning to Twitter. Thoughts other than money are also important to Trump and his advisors.

Another school of thought holds that Trump’s polling is better when he is not on Twitter.

According to one theory, Twitter helped Trump when he was establishing himself.

But does he really need Twitter at this point?

Additionally, some Republicans think that the public can have “too much Trump,” and that outrageous claims and statements that grab attention can divert attention away from Republican talking points. And even if Trump wanted to return, it now appears unlikely that the door would be flung open for him. Elon Musk stated in a tweet on Friday that a council would determine whether those who had been banned could return.

This has a striking resemblance to the Facebook Oversight Board’s decision to impose a two-year ban on Trump (they will need to make a decision on whether he can return in January).

They might come to the conclusion that Trump’s ban should stand.

Both Trump and Musk are adept Twitter users. But it’s also difficult to predict them. Donald Trump might soon be tweeting happily, for all we know. However, there are many reasons to think he won’t be using his preferred megaphone anytime soon.

(Adapted from Business-Insider.com)

Categories: Geopolitics, Regulations & Legal, Strategy, Uncategorized