Former President Donald Trump's use of Twitter was one of the defining aspects of his presidency. He frequently used the social media outlet to lob petty insults against his critics, announce administration departures, and broadcast disinformation to his nearly 100 million followers.
But after his lies about the 2020 election prompted a mob of pro-Trump extremists to storm the United States Capitol in a deadly failed insurrection, he was soon permanently banned from the site.
Since then, the former President has spewed his ramblings through statements from his office.
On Wednesday, Trump issued a statement regarding the rollout of vaccines for the pandemic that's killed over 500 thousand Americans.
Trump wrote:
"I hope everyone remembers when they're getting the COVID-19 (often referred to as the China Virus) Vaccine, that if I wasn't President you wouldn't be getting that beautiful 'shot' for 5 years, at best, and probably wouldn't be getting it at all. I hope everyone remembers!"
In addition to once again using a racist moniker for the virus, Trump falsely credited himself with the vaccine rollout. Though vaccines began being administered under the Trump administration, the speed of vaccinations has significantly increased under the administration of President Joe Biden.
Vaccinations doubled to 12 million in Biden's first week in office, compared to six million during Trump's last week. The United States recently reached its 50 millionth vaccination weeks ahead of schedule— a promising signal for the Biden administration's goal of 100 million vaccinations in his first 100 days.
With its erratic capitalization, rampant falsehoods, and self-praise, people noticed that Trump's statement wasn't much different than the tweets for which he was famous.
The statement generated widespread mockery.
Twitter has said that even if Trump runs for President again in 2024, he won't be permitted back on the platform.
