From inspirational quotes to depicting himself as Jesus, see how Trump's social media posts have evolved since 2009

• President Trump began his social media presence on Twitter in 2009.
• Since then, he's amassed millions of followers, and some of his posts have sparked controversy.
• Trump started a new social media platform, Truth Social, after being banned from Twitter in 2021.

"Many are saying I'm the best 140 character writer in the world. It's easy when it's fun," then-private-citizen Donald Trump wrote in a 2012 tweet.

In the nearly two decades since his first Twitter post, Trump's social media updates have evolved from well-wishes, promotional posts, and inspirational quotes into a more combative presence — one that has repeatedly sparked controversy, shaped news cycles, and helped the president build a massive online following.

Earlier this week, following a lengthy post criticizing Pope Leo XIV, he posted an AI-generated image on Truth Social that appeared to depict himself as Jesus. He later deleted the post, telling reporters, "It's supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better, and I do make people better."

The image drew the ire of Christian conservatives. Journalist Megan Basham called it "OUTRAGEOUS blasphemy" on X (formerly Twitter), while former congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said in a CNN interview that she was "very offended."

The episode underscores how much Trump's online persona has shifted since he joined Twitter in 2009, when the internet landscape also looked very different. At the time, only 32% of Americans had ever used a cellphone to access the internet, according to Pew Research Center, and MySpace was about to be overtaken by Facebook as the most popular social media platform in the US.

As well as his online persona, Trump's posting habits have shifted. After Twitter banned him in 2021 (before restoring his account in 2022), he launched Truth Social, which became his primary social media home. By 2025, WCVB Boston reported, Trump was posting an average of 18 times a day across social platforms. His all-time record came in 2020, when he shared 200 tweets in a single day.

Trump's posts have looked very different over the years, though some characteristics have remained the same.

See how Trump's Twitter and Truth Social presence has evolved.

Donald Trump's first tweet promoted a TV appearance on David Letterman's show

In 2009, Trump was primarily known as a businessman and reality TV star for his NBC show "The Apprentice," which was in its fifth year.

For the first few years, Trump's Twitter account was handled by his marketing staff and was used to promote interviews and TV appearances. A few occasional messages from Trump himself — mostly well-wishes and holiday greetings — were always accompanied by a "From Trump" note.

Inspirational quotes were another mainstay on Trump's profile in the early years

Following the publication of his book "Think Like a Champion: An Informal Education in Business and Life" in April 2009, Trump's Twitter account often shared positive quotes from the work.

In 2011, criticism of President Obama and media personalities marked a change in tone

In July 2011, Trump began using Twitter to criticize the Obama administration. Within two months, he had amassed over 30 tweets about the president.

Starting that year, Trump also used Twitter to push a rumor that Obama was born in Kenya. Although Obama made his birth certificate public in April 2011 and dismissed the claim as "silliness" in a public address, Trump continued to fuel the conspiracy theory online.

(In 2016, Trump publicly acknowledged Obama had been born in the US.)

During this time, Trump was handwriting his tweets and replies in Sharpie and handing them to his then-social media manager, Justin McConney, to be published, Politico reported.

Among his online name-calling in 2011, Trump turned on Vanity Fair magazine, feuded with MSNBC anchor Lawrence O'Donnell, and criticized other media figures.

By this time, Trump had passed 800,000 Twitter followers.

Trump waded into other debates via posts, including statements on global warming

One week in November 2012, he tweeted about global warming eight times, including posts saying the phenomenon "is based on faulty science and manipulated data" and that the concept "was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive."

His global-warming posts drew criticism from government officials and scientists. In response to a 2017 Trump tweet implying that global warming was a hoax because of a cold forecast for New Year's Eve, climate scientist Adam Sobel told CBS News, "This is a very tired and often debunked assertion."

The posts reflect the climate change policy across Trump's two terms. In February, the administration announced the rescinding of a 2009 regulatory guidance against greenhouse gases, which it called "the single largest deregulatory action in US history."

In 2013, Trump started tweeting entirely by himself

McConney told Politico that in February 2013, Trump got a new Android smartphone and sent out his first tweet on his own, an unceremonious message praising the actor Sherri Shepherd.

The tweet marked a turning point for Trump — by the end of the year, he had tweeted 8,000 times, averaging roughly 22 per day.

By January 2013, he had surpassed 2 million followers, having gained over a million since February 2012.

He used Twitter to fuel his 2016 presidential run

On June 16, 2015, Trump announced he was running for president of the United States. He had touted the idea on Twitter in the years leading up to the announcement, quipping in 2012, "My daughter Ivanka thinks I should run for President. Maybe I should listen."

Throughout his campaign, Trump used Twitter to speak on issues and lambast opponents. He notably regularly criticized Jeb Bush, with whom he sparred in the Republican primary.

Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton responded to one of Trump's jabs against her by saying, "Delete your account."

Trump continued tweeting at a high rate while in the White House

Among his tweets, he turned his attention to Greenland, drawing criticism for posting an image of a Trump hotel in the Danish territory.

According to the BBC, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the notion of a purchase "absurd" at the time. Trump responded by saying the comment was "nasty."

In his second term, Trump revived his interest in Greenland, and the White House didn't rule out the possibility of using military force to annex the territory. On Truth Social, Trump threatened to impose tariffs on European nations that opposed a potential US purchase.

Time magazine reported that the threats were widely condemned across party lines, with Republican senators Rand Paul and Thom Tillis among those voicing opposition.

By 2019, Trump had amassed over 63 million followers, and a Pew Research Center study found that one in five US adult Twitter users at the time followed the president.

Trump used Twitter to amplify false claims about the 2020 election

Following his loss in the 2020 election, Trump took to the platform to voice his indignation. While the Department of Justice found no evidence of voter fraud, the president continued to make the claim on Twitter.

The platform would flag tweets with a "misleading information" label, including some of Trump's posts.

In 2021, Trump was banned from the platform

Leading up to the January 6 Capitol attacks, Trump continued to tweet about the election, making further claims of fraud.

On January 8, 2021, Twitter permanently suspended Trump's account "due to the risk of further incitement of violence," it said in a statement. Twitter cited two tweets from Trump on January 8 that it said violated its "Glorification of Violence" policy.

In response, Trump accused the platform of banning free speech and attempting to silence him and his supporters, NPR reported.

In 2022, a Congressional inquiry on the January 6 attacks cited Trump's Tweets, such as one on December 19 inviting supporters to a January 6 protest, as inciting the riots, the BBC reported.

Shortly after Elon Musk purchased Twitter and renamed it X, Trump's account was restored in November 2022.

In 2021, Trump oversaw the creation of his own platform, Truth Social

Trump Media & Technology Group was formed shortly after Trump left office, and the company officially launched Truth Social in 2022. In an announcement, Trump said the platform was being created in order to "stand up to the tyranny of big tech."

He made his formal return to social media with a post on April 28, 2022, writing, "I'M BACK!"

He has since made over 33,000 posts on the platform, according to Roll Call.

On Truth Social, he continued posting regularly

Trump continued to post in similar ways as he did on X, although he more frequently reposted memes and edits from his followers.

Posts like one he shared of his face on Mount Rushmore weren't entirely jokes — in 2020, a White House aide reportedly asked then-South Dakota governor Kristi Noem about the possibility of adding another face to the iconic landmark. In 2025, Florida Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna introduced legislation to add Trump's face to Mount Rushmore, though it never went to a vote.

With the growing use of AI, his posts and reposts continued to draw controversy

In February this year, Trump reposted a video that contained an image depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes. The image appeared for two seconds at the end of a 60-second video about the 2020 election.

The post drew immediate blowback from both parties. In a post on X, Republican senator Tim Scott said the post was "the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House." Barack Obama called the video a "distraction" and said "the majority of the American people find this behavior deeply troubling."

Trump soon took the post down and later told reporters he didn't see the entire video. The White House said it was a staffer who made the post.

He also became increasingly combative toward his perceived adversaries

In November 2025, a group of Democratic lawmakers shared a video encouraging members of the military to "disobey illegal orders" amid Trump's deployment of the National Guard to cities across the US.

On Truth Social, Trump labeled the video sedition and called it "punishable by death." He also reposted a now-deleted post from another user saying, "Hang them George Washington would !!"

In response, three of the Democrats who appeared in the video filed police complaints, saying the posts threatened their personal safety, Politico reported.

Then, in December 2025, Trump posted a comment on the murder of filmmaker Rob Reiner, stating the Trump critic likely died due to "Trump derangement syndrome." Many Republicans in Congress condemned Trump's response; the president defended his post, saying, "I was not a fan of Rob Reiner at all in any way, shape or form."

In March, Trump wrote on Truth Social, "Robert Mueller just died. Good, I'm glad he's dead." The former FBI director led a special counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Trump's comments were met with widespread condemnation among members of Congress and political commentators.

In April, Trump used the platform to threaten Iran in the ongoing war

On April 5, amid the ongoing war with Iran and its effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Trump posted a threat to strike Iran's power grid and bridges on April 7.

The post, which contained an expletive, warned the country that if it didn't reopen the Strait, "you'll be living in Hell — JUST WATCH."

On April 7, the president gave a grave warning to Iran on Truth Social, writing, "a whole civilization will die tonight" if they failed to reach a deal to reopen the Strait.

In addition to elected officials' widespread condemnation of the statement, many also called for the invocation of Section 4 of the 25th Amendment, which could remove Trump from office if he were deemed mentally unfit to serve as president.

Between slamming his critics' responses to the war, President Trump has also used Truth Social to celebrate moments and thank some nations and their leaders.

"Thank you to Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar for your great bravery and help," he wrote on April 17, after the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Most recently, Trump used Truth Social to criticize the pope

After Pope Leo criticized the US' actions in the Iran war, Trump responded with a post against the head of the Catholic Church, calling him "weak on crime."

The pope affirmed that he didn't desire a debate with Trump, but would continue to speak out against war and promote peace, The Pillar reported.

Trump later posted an AI-generated image on Truth Social that appeared to depict him as Jesus. Following criticism, he removed the image, telling reporters he believed it had depicted him as a doctor helping people.

In some ways, the president's posts are similar to those from 2011

Trump continues to use his social media as a promotional tool, including updating followers on his next broadcast appearance.

He also regularly reshares positive media coverage of his policies and administration, posts congratulatory messages, and updates his followers on his brushes with celebrity.