Donald Trump returns to X / Twitter with a flurry of posts — and an inconsistently labeled campaign ad

X owner Elon Musk will also be interviewing Trump on its Spaces platform.
By Matt Binder  on 
Donald Trump on X
Donald Trump's account is once again active on X, publishing a slew of posts as well as a paid ad on X that sometimes doesn't appear to be labeled as an advertisement. Credit: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

As Donald Trump and his reelection campaign drops in the polls, the former president is making at least one big move in hopes of altering the trajectory. 

On Monday, Trump returned to Elon Musk's X, formerly known as Twitter, with a slew of posts promoting his presidential campaign and attacking the Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. Trump also promoted an upcoming interview with Musk over X's Spaces platform, which will take place on Monday night.

The first official post back on the @realDonaldTrump account was a campaign video upload published just after 11am ET. However, the account also posted a paid advertisement right before 3am ET. 

Some X users noted how they see Trump's sudden return to X as a desperate attempt to reverse his falling poll numbers.

Others noted how they were excited to see Trump back on X.

Trump's return to X

Trump's account previously posted just once before since being "permanently" suspended by the company then-known as Twitter in January 2021 following his supporters' Capitol building attack. Musk reinstated Trump's account in November 2022, shortly after he acquired the company. On August 24, 2023, Trump's account posted for the first time since his suspension. The post included a photo of his then-brand new indictment mugshot, which he has used for his campaign merchandise.

However, after that one August post last year, Trump has gone without posting on X again for nearly a year. As of the publishing time of this piece, Trump's account now has posted or reposted eight times.

Mashable Light Speed
Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories?
Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter.
By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up!

It's unclear if Trump himself is posting as he did prior to being suspended  — or if his campaign is using the account.

Trump's (sometimes) unlabeled paid ad

Before Trump's account started posting again on Monday, a paid X ad started running on his account in the early morning hours of August 12.

"Are you better off now than you were when I was president?," the post asked, alongside a campaign video and the hashtag #TrumpOnX.

The ad post does not appear on Trump's account, which isn't out of the ordinary. X allows users to promote posts that are strictly ads and don't appear on their profile feed. However, this caused confusion amongst X users who were unfamiliar with X's advertising platform as the post appeared in feeds before Trump's account started publishing posts again.

One big issue with Trump's X ad, however, is that it doesn't always appear labeled as an ad. Trump's X ad has an "ad" label in the upper right hand corner when it appears in a user's feed. However, when opening Trump's X ad in the post view page, the ad label disappears. If a user was sent a direct link to the Trump ad on X, for example, they would not see the ad label.

Here's how Trump's X ad looks in the post feed with the ad label:

Trump's X ad in users' feed
This is how the labeled Trump ad that appears in X users' feeds looks. Credit: Mashable screenshot

And here's how it looks on the post view page and via an embed without the ad label:

As previously mentioned, X owner Elon Musk will interview Trump on Spaces tonight.


Recommended For You

Elon Musk said Donald Trump interview suffered a 'DDoS attack' — X / Twitter employees say he's lying
Donald Trump and Elon Musk on X

The Trump campaign's take on Tim Walz's coaching days proves they don't know football
grown men in football jerseys on the DNC stage, all former players for Tim Walz


Watch Sebastian Stan become Donald Trump in 'The Apprentice' trailer
Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump

Trending on Mashable
Wordle today: Answer, hints for October 11
a phone displaying Wordle

NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for October 11
A phone displaying the New York Times game 'Connections.'

Astronomers just found a galaxy way too advanced for its time
Galaxy forming in the early universe

NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for October 10
A phone displaying the New York Times game 'Connections.'

'The Platform 2's twisty ending, explained
A close-up of a topless, bald man holding a lit lighter.
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!