Former President Donald Trump made a return to X—formerly Twitter—on Thursday, marking his first tweet in over two years. However, the message he chose to share was swiftly met with mockery from his critics.
Earlier this month, a grand jury in Georgia investigating Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election result handed up a criminal indictment that resulted in more charges for the ex-President.
Trump and 18 of his associates—including his attorney Rudy Giuliani and former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows—have been charged under Georgia's anti-racketeering law, marking the fourth time Trump has been indicted this year.
Trump's tweet featured a photo of his mug shot taken during his arrest in Georgia, accompanied by the phrase "NEVER SURRENDER!" The post also coincided with his upload of the same message on his Truth Social platform.
You can see Trump's post below.
The tweet marks Trump's first message on the platform since January 2021, when Twitter leadership banned him in the days after the January 6 insurrection, the day a mob of his supporters attacked the United States Capitol on the false premise the 2020 election had been stolen.
Trump was banned due to fears that his presence on the platform would give him an opportunity to incite further violence. The ban was later lifted by billionaire Elon Musk after he purchased it last year but Trump remained on Truth Social exclusively until yesterday.
Amidst Trump's latest activity on the platform, many observers were quick to point out the irony in Trump's choice of words.
The former President's critics highlighted that the phrase "never surrender" was particularly striking given that he had just literally surrendered himself to authorities in Fulton County in order to be processed, photographed, and eventually released on bond in his election interference case.
Trump's blunder was swiftly mocked online.
Trump's mugshot was the first mugshot ever taken of an American President.
Trump faces 91 charges across four separate indictments. His attempts to overturn the 2020 election resulted in charges from the Justice Department following an investigation conducted by Jack Smith, the special counsel who had earlier charged him with allegedly stealing classified documents from the White House after leaving office.
Trump also faces state charges in New York for potential campaign finance violations related to a hush money payment he made to adult film actor Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election.
@LeeMerrittesq/X
@bob_moss/X
@jelanijones/Bluesky
@Aurkayne/X
@sadcommunistdog; @froglok/Bluesky