One of Twitter’s most prolific users — before he was banned — is reportedly returning to social media, this time using his own platform.
Former President Donald Trump will be back on social media sometime “in probably about two to three months,” according to Jason Miller, a senior adviser.
“And this is something that I think will be the hottest ticket in social media. It’s going to completely redefine the game, and everybody is going to be waiting and watching to see what exactly President Trump does,” Miller told Fox News on Sunday.
Trump was banned from Twitter following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. The social media giant suspended his account after his supporters stormed the Capitol, a riot that resulted in five deaths. His Facebook and Instagram accounts were also suspended.
Miller didn’t go into details but said Trump has been having “high-powered meetings” at Mar-a-Lago with various teams regarding the venture, and that “numerous companies” have approached the former Republican president.
“This new platform is going to be big,” Miller said, predicting Trump will draw “tens of millions of people.”
Trump endorsed U.S. Rep. Jody Hice on Monday to be Georgia’s next secretary of state. Hice announced a primary challenge against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who drew the wrath of Trump and some leading state Republicans for rebuffing pressure to reverse the former president’s November election defeat and defying Trump’s demand that he “find” enough votes to overturn the election.
Hice was among Raffensperger’s sharpest critics in Congress and introduced an objection to Georgia’s Electoral College votes with several U.S. House colleagues.
Trump also is telling allies he’s strongly considering another run for president in 2024, and close advisers want him to choose someone other than former Vice President Mike Pence for his ticket, according to anonymous sources quoted by The Associated Press.
Trump publicly teased at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference he’s mulling another bid for president. Privately, he’s discussed alternatives to Pence as he takes stock of who he believes stood with him at the end of his term and who didn’t, according to anonymous sources quoted by the AP.
Trump’s advisers have discussed identifying a Black or female running mate for his next run, and three of the people familiar with the matter said Pence likely won’t be on the ticket.
Two advisers have suggested Trump consider South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, the people said. Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, recently hosted a fundraiser for Noem on Friday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and home in Palm Beach, Florida.
In late February, Trump publicly endorsed South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott’s reelection. Scott is the only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate.
Pence rejected his boss’ appeals to overturn Trump’s reelection defeat when he presided over the congressional count of Electoral College votes on Jan. 6. The event turned into an insurrection by Trump’s supporters, who invaded the Capitol, disrupted the count and forced the vice president and members of Congress to flee.
The two men didn’t speak for days afterward. Pence hasn’t said whether he’d be interested in running with Trump again, according to a person familiar with the situation, who believes it’s doubtful Pence would.
Miller said “no such conversations are happening” about picking someone other than Pence if he runs again, and that the former president “hasn’t made any decisions regarding a potential 2024 run.”
In Trump’s camp, there’s been no serious consideration of future vice presidential candidates yet, the people familiar with the matter said. If he runs, Trump likely won’t make a formal announcement until the summer of 2023, they said.
Trump is building a political structure that would serve as a campaign foundation should he decide to run again, including an existing political action committee, Save America, that accepts donations up to $5,000 per individual. A new super PAC, which would accept unlimited donations, is also planned.
Pence is considered a top-tier potential candidate in 2024. A Harvard-Harris poll conducted Feb. 23-25 found that 42% of Republican voters preferred Trump as their 2024 nominee, compared with 18% for Pence, who placed second.
Without Trump, Pence led the field with the support of 36% of Republican voters, followed by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz at 13%.
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