Truth Social, launched in February 2022 after Trump was banned from every mainstream platform, became the unfiltered id of a presidential campaign. With no content moderation, no editorial oversight, and no one willing to tell the former president to put down the phone, Trump’s posting became a daily spectacle that would have disqualified any other candidate in any other era.
The Threats
Trump used Truth Social to directly attack judges, prosecutors, witnesses, and their families. He called Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg an “animal.” He attacked Judge Juan Merchan and his daughter. He called Jack Smith “deranged” hundreds of times. He posted a photo of Smith’s wife and referenced her in threatening contexts. Judges in multiple cases issued gag orders. Trump violated them repeatedly. He was held in contempt and fined $10,000 by Judge Merchan. He paid the fine and kept posting.
The Content
The posts defied categorization:
Conspiracy theories: Trump “re-truthed” (shared) QAnon content dozens of times, including posts from accounts promoting the conspiracy theory that a secret cabal of pedophiles controls the government. He shared posts calling for military tribunals against his political opponents.
AI-generated images: Trump shared AI-generated fake images of himself — depicting him with crowds of Black supporters, praying with hands clasped, surrounded by adoring fans — none of which were real. He shared them without noting they were AI-generated.
3 AM rants: Multiple times per week, Trump posted long, all-caps rants between midnight and 4 AM. The posts were often misspelled, rambling, and fixated on perceived slights from cable news hosts, former allies, and judges.
A man facing 91 felony charges, running for president, posting AI-generated images of fake supporters and threatening judges at 3 AM, and 74 million people said: that’s our guy.
The Gag Orders
Judges in the Manhattan and D.C. cases issued gag orders prohibiting Trump from making statements that could intimidate witnesses, jurors, or court staff. Trump violated the orders repeatedly. In the Manhattan case, Judge Merchan found Trump in contempt 10 times and fined him $1,000 per violation. Trump treated the fines as a cost of doing business and the violations as campaign content.
Bottom Line
In any previous era, a presidential candidate posting threats against judges, sharing conspiracy theories from fringe accounts, violating court orders, and ranting in all caps at 3 AM would have been disqualified by the electorate, the media, or their own party. Trump did all of it, daily, for two years. His supporters called it “fighting.” His opponents called it unhinged. The voters called it presidential. He won. Truth Social was never about truth. It was about permission — the permission to say anything, threaten anyone, and face no consequences. It was a preview of the presidency. We just didn’t take it seriously enough.
Sources
- Associated Press: Trump Truth Social posting patterns and judicial gag order violations.
- New York Times: Analysis of Trump’s Truth Social content, 2023–2024.
- Media Matters: Trump QAnon re-truth tracker and content analysis.