How Trump has become angrier and more isolated on Truth Social

For years, Donald Trump was among Twitter’s loudest and most inescapable voices: a brash, bomb-throwing businessman turned president who could capture the global news cycle with a single tweet.

On Truth Social, he is serving up an even more extreme version of his online self.

His following is diminished, but his posting has accelerated. He has traded combative tweets for even more belligerent screeds. Diatribes against his perceived enemies have drawn gag orders from judges in multiple cases. His media diet has become almost exclusively right-wing. And above all, he persists in spreading lies about his 2020 election loss, deep into his campaign for another term.

70 percent of Republicans that Biden won the 2020 election because of voter fraud.” class=”wpds-c-hcZlgz wpds-c-hcZlgz-bkfjoi-font-georgia wpds-c-hcZlgz-jDmrXh-width-mdCenter wpds-c-hcZlgz-ibdLmgo-css”>Here on his company’s social network, the former president’s increasingly confrontational posting keeps his most ardent followers primed for action, helps him raise money and provides daily fodder for a media sphere that exists largely to amplify him. And he has reason to believe his efforts are paying off: Polling shows that Trump has convinced as many as 70 percent of Republicans that Biden won the 2020 election because of voter fraud.

Few Americans hang out in this corner of the internet. Truth Social’s most popular account, Trump’s, has a fraction of the following he boasts on Twitter.

Trump has about 6 million followers on Truth and 87 million on Twitter

But it’s here that Trump — who reshaped campaigning and the presidency with his use of social media — offers an intimate view of what his second term could look like: isolated, vitriolic and vengeful.

The Washington Post analyzed all of Trump’s online posts from the official launches of his presidential campaigns in 2016 and 2024 to show how his social media use has changed from his first presidential run.

Many of Trump’s Truth Social posts in this story contain falsehoods, misleading statements or baseless claims. The Post is including them to illustrate how Trump’s online behavior has changed, but readers should note that much of what he says is inaccurate. Footnotes marked with ⓘ provide additional context on a post.

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung, in response to a request for comment from The Post, said that “President Trump uses Truth Social — which is as hot as a pistol — to speak truth to power and get his message out unfiltered.”

On a typical day, Trump’s feed is a flurry of polls and links interspersed with a drumbeat of attacks and dire warnings about the state of the country:

A snapshot of Trump’s Truth Social feed on April 2, 2024

Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump

Thank you to professor Jonathan Turley for exposing the horrendous decision made by a corrupt New York State Judge, Arthur Engoron, on the “I will get Trump” worst in the Nation A.G., Letitia James, unfair case against me. I just posted a $175,000,000 Bond just for the right to Appeal this travesty of a case, which I won at the Appellate Division, but this Judge refuses to accept- A FIRST. He is a whacked out nut job who just made up a number out of thin air, just like he did on the value of Mar-a-Lago. Businesses won’t enter New York because of this decision, and many are fleeing. Think of it – I had to pay an enormous sum for the right to Appeal the ridiculous decision of a CROOKED Judge and A.G. This is Election Interference, and it all comes directly from Joe Biden and the White House. An attack, along with ALL OF THE OTHERS, on his political opponent, ME!

Donald J. Trump

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I just was informed that another corrupt New York Judge, Juan Merchan, GAGGED me so that I can not talk about the corruption and conflicts taking place in his courtroom with respect to a case that everyone, including the D.A., felt should never have been brought. They can talk about me, but I can’t talk about them??? That sounds fair, doesn’t it? This Judge should be recused, and the case should be thrown out. There has virtually never been a more conflicted judge than this one. ELECTION INTERFERENCE at its worst!

Donald J. Trump

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Please remember, ALL of these Lawsuits, Charges, and Indictments that have been brought against me have been orchestrated and coordinated by Crooked Joe Biden, the White House, and the DOJ, as an ATTACK ON CROOKED’S POLITICAL OPPONENT, ME. This has never happened before in our Country. MAGA2024!

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THE LEGAL SYSTEM IN OUR COUNTRY HAS BEEN CORRUPTED & POLITICIZED AT A LEVEL NEVER SEEN BEFORE. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

He’s prolific. He posts 29 times a day on average, far more than he tweeted during his first campaign and most of his presidency:

Chart that compares the number of posts Trump published in Twitter and Truth per day

He also is now more likely to write in all caps:

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Posts written in all caps

Data from Nov. 15, 2022, to March 15, 2024

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And when he’s not self-promoting, he’s often on the warpath, lashing out at his perceived enemies in hundreds of aggressive, insult-filled screeds. At least 570 posts since he announced his presidential bid in November 2022 have contained insulting language directed at someone.

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Posts featuring direct personal insults

Data from Nov. 15, 2022, to March 15, 2024

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judges and prosecutors in his court cases and has used his account to publicly attack the credibility of potential witnesses, including former allies such as Mike Pence and Mark Meadows. He also regularly goes after members of Congress who investigated his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks and, of course, President Biden — Trump recently shared a video that featured an image of the president with his hands and feet tied together.” class=”wpds-c-hcZlgz wpds-c-hcZlgz-bkfjoi-font-georgia wpds-c-hcZlgz-jDmrXh-width-mdCenter wpds-c-hcZlgz-ibdLmgo-css”>He frequently targets the judges and prosecutors in his court cases and has used his account to publicly attack the credibility of potential witnesses, including former allies such as Mike Pence and Mark Meadows. He also regularly goes after members of Congress who investigated his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks and, of course, President Biden — Trump recently shared a video that featured an image of the president with his hands and feet tied together.

enhanced security. Three judges have issued gag orders limiting what Trump can say about people in the cases. Just days into his hush money trial in Manhattan, prosecutors said Trump had violated a gag order there by posting links critical of Michael Cohen — his former lawyer and a key government witness — and prospective jurors. (His attorneys denied the accusation.)” class=”wpds-c-hcZlgz wpds-c-hcZlgz-bkfjoi-font-georgia wpds-c-hcZlgz-jDmrXh-width-mdCenter wpds-c-hcZlgz-ibdLmgo-css”>Some of the people Trump has attacked say they have received threatening calls, emails and letters, leading them to request enhanced security. Three judges have issued gag orders limiting what Trump can say about people in the cases. Just days into his hush money trial in Manhattan, prosecutors said Trump had violated a gag order there by posting links critical of Michael Cohen — his former lawyer and a key government witness — and prospective jurors. (His attorneys denied the accusation.)

Alongside the attacks, Trump’s feed is packed with links to right-wing news sites and conservative influencers.

Chart that compares Trump’s top 10 most-linked-to websites on Truth Social vs. Twitter

It wasn’t always this way. On Twitter, he used to link to a mix of mainstream and partisan sources.

But on Truth Social, he has largely walled himself off from mainstream political discussions. Instead, he posts a blend of polarized riffs on the news, fawning op-eds and interviews, and content from far-right accounts.

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https://www.rsbnetwork.com/news/trump-pledges-to-stop-bidens-reign-of-plunder-and-terror-in-2025/

The social media share card for a Right Side Broadcasting Network article

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Wow! https://truthsocial.com/@RevolverNews/posts/112057129411170210/

The social media share card for a Revolver News article

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https://dailycaller.com/2024/03/18/jonathan-turley-trump-government/

The social media share card for a Daily Caller article

Which helps fuel a feedback loop of false conspiracy theories and misinformation — particularly around the 2020 presidential election.

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Data from Nov. 15, 2022, to March 15, 2024

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Trump consistently recycles baseless claims about election misconduct and Jan. 6. And he writes messages nearly every day claiming he is a victim of political persecution.

Some of his posts about immigration also echo the “great replacement theory” — the racist lie that political elites want immigrants and racial minorities to displace White Americans — or refer to border crossings as an invasion.

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Data from Nov. 15, 2022, to March 15, 2024

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In between all that, Trump reposts bizarre AI-generated art and crudely doctored images. And the site abounds with fringe companies peddling diet supplements, political-themed knickknacks and gold bars.

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A doctored image that distorts Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' faces during a 2024 State of the Union address

Repost from a Truth Social user

An AI generated image depicting Donald Trump kneeling in prayer in a church

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For so many years people have been saying that Elvis and I look alike. Now this pic has been going all over the place. What do you think?

A doctored image comparing half of Elvis Presley and Donald's Trump's face side by side

faces hundreds of millions of dollars in legal penalties.” class=”wpds-c-hcZlgz wpds-c-hcZlgz-bkfjoi-font-georgia wpds-c-hcZlgz-jDmrXh-width-mdCenter wpds-c-hcZlgz-ibdLmgo-css”>The company that owns Truth Social, Trump Media & Technology Group, went public last month, and Trump’s stake in the company is worth nearly $3 billion as of Friday. Trump is barred from selling his shares for six months, but the company could offer him a massive financial lifeline as he faces hundreds of millions of dollars in legal penalties.

said in a recent post. “For better or worse, people want to hear what I have to say.”” class=”wpds-c-hcZlgz wpds-c-hcZlgz-bkfjoi-font-georgia wpds-c-hcZlgz-jDmrXh-width-mdCenter wpds-c-hcZlgz-ibdLmgo-css”>That ownership could give Trump even more reason to make Truth Social a place for attention-grabbing outrage. “TRUTH IS AMAZING!” he said in a recent post. “For better or worse, people want to hear what I have to say.”

About this story

Sarah Frostenson. Data editing by Anu Narayanswamy. Design editing by Betty Chavarria. Graphics editing by Kevin Uhrmacher. Photo editing by Christine Nguyen and Monique Woo. Copy editing by Mike Cirelli.” class=”wpds-c-hcZlgz wpds-c-hcZlgz-kdAvFk-font-franklin wpds-c-hcZlgz-ihobDGl-css”>Editing by Sarah Frostenson. Data editing by Anu Narayanswamy. Design editing by Betty Chavarria. Graphics editing by Kevin Uhrmacher. Photo editing by Christine Nguyen and Monique Woo. Copy editing by Mike Cirelli.

Methodology

Junkipedia, a repository of social media content, and data on his posting on Twitter via the Trump Archive. Analysis for both of his presidential campaigns spans the date when he formally announced his candidacy to March 15 of the election year. For Twitter, the range is June 16, 2015, to March 15, 2016, and for Truth Social, the range is Nov. 15, 2022, to March 15, 2024. For posting frequency, reposts are counted; for all other analysis, they are excluded. Images, including ones with text, were not included in the analysis.” class=”wpds-c-hcZlgz wpds-c-hcZlgz-kdAvFk-font-franklin wpds-c-hcZlgz-ihobDGl-css”>The Post gathered data on Trump’s posting on Truth Social via Junkipedia, a repository of social media content, and data on his posting on Twitter via the Trump Archive. Analysis for both of his presidential campaigns spans the date when he formally announced his candidacy to March 15 of the election year. For Twitter, the range is June 16, 2015, to March 15, 2016, and for Truth Social, the range is Nov. 15, 2022, to March 15, 2024. For posting frequency, reposts are counted; for all other analysis, they are excluded. Images, including ones with text, were not included in the analysis.

Posts where all the text, except for a link, was capitalized were counted as all caps. The Post identified election-denial posts by searching for words associated with elections, such as “vote,” “elect” and “ballot,” used alongside words associated with election denial, such as “steal,” “fraud” or “interfere.” The Post identified personal insults by searching for derogatory terms or nicknames, such as “crooked,” “puppet” or “DeSanctimonious,” used alongside a person’s name, using a combination of named-entity recognition and manual checks to identify named individuals.

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