Well, he’s back!

On Monday morning, Donald Trump returned to X/Twitter. First, he posted a two-and-a-half-minute hagiographic video about his presidency and his battles to stay out of prison. Soon after, he posted the following:

What followed was a seemingly random stream of videos, ads, and other content from the dark corners of the MAGA Internet.

From 2015 until January 6th, 2021, Donald Trump was defined by Twitter. He used the platform to drive his message, savage his rivals, and control the four corners of the political conversation. Trump was so obsessed with Twitter that concerns about his tweeting often showed up in focus groups. His supporters were begging him to stop lighting himself on fire via tweet. Persuadable voters worried that Twitter was distracting Trump from the duties of the presidency. The former President was banned from the platform after January 6th — his tweets spread the Big Lie and helped foment the violence.

After purchasing Twitter in 2022, Elon Musk restored Trump’s account, but until yesterday, Trump had only sent one tweet. In August 2023, he posted a picture of his mugshot and a link to his website to sell t-shirts monetizing his criminality. Other than that, Trump kept most of his social media ranting to his fledging Truth Social.

For years, people have wondered if and when Trump would return to Twitter. When Musk allowed him back, some Democrats were nervous that Trump would once again be able to use Twitter as a political weapon. So, why is he back now, and should we care?

Quid Pro Musk

The specific timing of Trump’s return to Twitter is no mystery. On Monday night, Musk interviewed Trump live on X/Twitter. This was an absurd, painfully awkward conversation foiled by technical glitches.

Trump and Musk need each other. Predictions of Twitter’s imminent collapse after the Musk acquisition have proven to be premature. The site is still up and running, and most politicians, celebrities, athletes, and brands are still active on Twitter...