Former US president Donald Trump was back on X, formerly Twitter, on August 25, after nearly two and a half years. He posted on the microblogging site his mug shot and the words, “Election interference. Never surrender! along with a link to his website, which directs to a fundraising site.”

Trump posted soon after he surrendered at an Atlanta jail on charges that he conspired to overturn his election loss in 2020 in Georgia.

https://t.co/MlIKklPSJT pic.twitter.com/Mcbf2xozsY

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2023

The former American president’s last post was on January 8, 2021, before X (then Twitter) suspended his account indefinitely, citing fears he would incite additional violence following the storming of the US Capitol building.

After Musk took over the social media firm in October 2022, Trump’s account was reinstated. He, however, stayed away from the microblogging site and didn’t tweet anything until this morning. He had insisted he was happier on his own Truth Social site that he launched while he was banned.

Trump’s return to the platform comes at a time when he’s seeking another presidential term in 2024 elections. The former president is known to use X with posts to dominate his rivals in the 2016 primary and to command the news cycle for years. Trump has 86.5 million followers on X, dwarfing his rivals in the 2024 race.

Also Read | One image, one face, one American moment: The Donald Trump mug shot

An Associated Press report suggests that his return to X and the inclusion of a link to a fundraising page is also a reflection of just how much money Trump's campaign has been burning on lawyers representing the candidate and allies as he battles criminal charges in four jurisdictions.

Trump had made his comeback on Facebook in March, posting, I'M BACK! weeks after his personal account there was reactivated.

He has been using his platform Truth Social to share information or “break news” of his indictments and planned surrenders as he has faced a mounting list of legal woes. As part of his deal with Digital World Acquisition Corp. to take Truth Social public, Trump had agreed so he wouldn't compete against his own company that it would be the first channel for any and all social media communications and posts coming from his personal profile, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.