Former President Donald Trump reiterated his claim that the election was "stolen" from him, promoting the same narratives that led a crowd of his supporters to storm the Capitol building.
During his talk with the far-right network "Newsmax," Trump described Twitter as "boring" since he was banned from using it after his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol last month, resulting in five deaths. In his first interview since leaving the White House, Trump launched an attack on the media, suggesting that current President Joe Biden is "mentally disturbed," while again asserting that the election was "stolen from him."
Trump reached out to networks like "Fox News," "Newsmax," and "OAN"—all friendly to him—to discuss the death of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh the previous Wednesday. When asked about returning to social media, he said he is "negotiating with a number of people." He also mentioned there is another option to build a private platform taking advantage of his supporter base.
Trump did not comment on whether he plans to run for president again in 2024, a possibility following his acquittal by the Senate in his impeachment trial last week. When asked about his plans for 2024, Trump said, "I won’t say right now, but we have tremendous support; I am the only person being impeached and my numbers go up," referring to approval ratings. Trump has remained at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida since leaving the White House about a month ago.
