Following his arrest in Atlanta Thursday, former President Donald Trump returned to X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, posting his mug shot and the words “Election interference. Never surrender!”
Trump, who while in office often tweeted several times a day, was silenced on the site on Jan. 8, 2021, two days after the riot at the U.S. Capitol when Twitter suspended his account.
His account was reinstated last November, The Associated Press reported, shortly after Elon Musk took over the company.
Trump launched his own site, Truth Social, where he shared updates, announcements and comments. Trump had 6.4 million followers on Truth Social as of Thursday.
In addition to posting “Never surrender!” minutes after he surrendered to authorities in Fulton County, Georgia, he included a link to his website, which directs to a fundraising page.
https://t.co/MlIKklPSJT pic.twitter.com/Mcbf2xozsY
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2023
According to the AP, Trump’s post came as he was aboard his private plane, flying back from Atlanta to his summer home in New Jersey late Thursday.
Trump surrendered Thursday at the Fulton County jail on more than a dozen charges stemming from his efforts to reverse Georgia’s 2020 election results.
Thursday marked the fourth time this year Trump has faced criminal charges.
Trump has 86.8 million followers on X as of Friday morning. The post garnered more than 14 million views 50 minutes after going live. On Friday morning, 111 million people had seen the tweet.
Trump posted the same message on Truth Social.
Trump sued Twitter in 2021 over his suspension from the platform, arguing the move violated his right to freedom of speech under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, Reuters reported.
A U.S. judge in California dismissed the case, and a federal appeals court in Pasadena, California, is set to take up the dispute on Oct. 4.
