Elon Musk restored Donald Trump's Twitter/X account almost two years ago. Since then, however, Trump has only posted once, to publish his Fulton County mug shot in August of last year to protest "election interference" via the RICO case. Trump has remained on his own Truth Social platform exclusively, even as the election season heats up.
Today, however, Trump -- or his campaign -- returned to Twitter/X to push a new election message. Only the message isn't new, and it doesn't feature Trump at all. It's not even a tweet per se from Trump or the campaign. Instead, it's a Twitter ad under Trump's account, in which he channels Ronald Reagan in this new-ish 60-second campaign ad (via the Right Scoop):
Are you better off now than you were when I was president?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 12, 2024
Our economy is shattered. Our border has been erased. We're a nation in decline.
Make the American Dream AFFORDABLE again. Make America SAFE again. Make America GREAT Again! #TrumpOnX
The ad isn't brand-spanking new. It came out last week, and I featured it in one of our Final Word posts. I noted at the time that not only was this a great message, it should be the biggest message of the election cycle.
Just as in 1980, it gets to the core of American unease, and crystallizes the election as a decision point. Do we choose another four years of chaos at home and abroad, lost wages, and a border crisis that has raged since the last inauguration? Or do we choose a different path, one that produced peace and prosperity until the pandemic hit?
The choice is even starker than in 1980 because we're choosing between status quo and status quo ante. In 1980, Reagan was still something of an unknown quantity, although his eight years as governor in California certainly provided enough evidence of his success in implementing conservative principles and policies. The Left used Reagan's unknowns (as they saw them) to paint Reagan as a dangerous ideologue and warmonger and an actor who couldn't possibly govern at the presidential level.
The Left and the Protection Racket Media are doing the same to Trump, but they're having to pretend to overlook the fact that he's been president already. Voters know what they'll get with Trump, more so than they did with Reagan in 1980. That's true for Trump's positives and his negatives, but mostly they will recall that the economy performed substantially better for them, especially in terms of real wage gains.
So yes, this ad is a powerful reminder of all these points. It should become the dominant theme of the Trump-Vance campaign, and having Trump return to Twitter/X to deliver it signals that they see the wisdom of sticking to this question -- rather than Harris' identitarian posturing or other extraneous points. Elections come down to voters' lives, not the lives of the candidates, and what the competing policies mean for their pocketbooks and security.
And one other point should get made too, which is that Trump has to engage on Twitter more often. Twitter isn't real life, but it is a key platform for media and political/social debate. Harris has been using it to shape the election and define herself among the cognoscenti, and thus far it's been a walkover. Trump understandably wants the media to use Truth Social and promote it, but the campaign can't afford to leave any battleground undefended in an election that is this close. And this is the time to put electoral interests ahead of business interests.
We don't need a deluge of "mean tweets," but Trump has to make his case on Twitter/X over the next three months. That means real engagement, not just ad purchases. Perhaps this is the start of that campaign, and if it is, channeling Ronald Reagan would be a very fine start indeed.
Update: This tweet isn't an ad, but a real tweet with a more combative message from the candidate himself. Trump pushes back against lawfare and makes the argument that he's essentially the canary in the Leftist coal mine.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 12, 2024
This is also quite effective, if too long for TV. It's perfect for social media, however.
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