• Former president Donald Trump has returned to social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, for the first time since he was suspended by Twitter's prior regime in Jan. 2021. Reuters (LR: 3 CP: 5)
• Trump's account had been banned by the platform's former owner on Jan. 8, 2021, two days after the Jan. 6 protests, due to the platform's fear of a risk of further incitement of violence. The company was bought by Elon Musk, who reinstated Trump's account in November 2022. Associated Press (LR: 3 CP: 5)
• Trump had previously stated that he was pleased with his own platform, Truth Social, which was launched during the social media ban. Trump holds 86.6M followers on X and posted shortly after he surrendered in Atlanta, Georgia, over charges of election interference in 2020. Euronews
• Trump previously held an 18-month exclusivity agreement with Truth Social, which expired in June this year. Upon Trump's return to X, shares of the Digital World Acquisition Corporation — who had pledged to merge with Truth Social — fell by approximately 5%. Newsweek (LR: 1 CP: 5)
• Posting a picture of his mugshot from Georgia, Trump accompanied the photo with the words "ELECTION INTERFERENCE" and "NEVER SURRENDER!" Trump also posted the same mugshot on Truth Social, claiming the platform is still his home. CNBC (LR: 3 CP: 5)
• Trump was released via a $200K bond on Thursday, facing 13 felony charges as part of his fourth criminal indictment. The former president's tweet has gained over 1M likes. CBS (LR: 2 CP: 5)

Pro-Trump narrative:

• While it's unknown whether former President Trump intends to return to the platform full-time, having been a regular on Truth Social since early 2022, his return to X has been met with open arms. The world long-awaited Trump's return to the platform and the posting of his own mugshot was an apt reintroduction and show of defiance. The former president has immense energy on his side as looks to dominate the 2024 presidential election.
  The Western Journal

Anti-Trump narrative:

• Having already won the Republican debate without making an appearance, it's inevitable that Trump's mugshot will be "meme-ified," commodified, and utilized as part of his quest for revenge. Given his authoritarian impulses, it would be foolish to underestimate the power of this image and how it will permeate American politics.
  Guardian (LR: 2 CP: 5)

Nerd narrative:

• There is a 50% chance that Trump will be jailed or incarcerated before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
  Metaculus (LR: 3 CP: 3)