It’s understandable that a man so attached to social media would be a bit frazzled when one day it was all taken away. Alex Holder, the filmmaker who got incredible access to the 45th President and his family while filming a documentary leading up to the January 6th Capitol riots, says he saw firsthand how upsetting it is to no longer be able to live-tweet insults and every other random thought to a mass audience.
Holder was a guest on the Bulwark Podcast this week and shared what he called “a little behind the scenes secret.” He said Trump had clearly gained some weight and was in a foul mood because he was experiencing social media withdrawals.
“That’s literally what his closest aide said to me: he was in the most terrible, foul, mood because he couldn’t use social media. It was remarkable,” Holder said.
It’s clear Trump needed some time offline in the days following the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol. Especially when you take into account the role he played in escalating what unfolded that day. But before (and let’s be honest, sometimes during) his time as POTUS, Trump, the reality TV star and questionable businessman, did have some pretty entertaining and at times very cringy tweets. The Daily Show even created a pop-up exhibit, The Donald J. Trump Presidential Twitter Library, that displayed some of his greatest hits.
Of course, Trump couldn’t stay offline forever. He took matters into his own tiny hands by creating his own platform, Truth Social. If you’ve been missing some of the thoughts of the former President, apparently that’s where you can find them. But sadly, you’ll also be sure to find a bunch of strange QAnon conspiracies and likely even a pinch of unmoderated violence.
Holder, by the way, was subpoenaed by the congressional committee investigating the January 6th attacks and testified before them. While his tales of covering Trump can be interesting and funny at times, perhaps they can also shed some additional light on the days that lead up to and followed that horrific day in U.S. history.
