Donald Trump's propensity for fiery social media messaging has not allayed since his departure from Twitter, with the former U.S. president now relying on his Truth Social platform to speak "Truths" to an audience of his loyal fans.
Such is his commitment to the platform that Trump has even snubbed an offer to return from the platform's new owner, Elon Musk, who ended his suspension following a Twitter vote.
This week, the former president launched a barrage of posts targeting some of his historical foes, but appears to have forgotten to send one important and timely message to his online audience.
The Claim
A tweet, posted on November 25, 2022, claims that throughout Thanksgiving, Donald Trump never once said "thanksgiving" or "happy" during this holiday season.
Trump made 45 Truth Social posts yesterday. Two words that were not in any of them:
— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) November 25, 2022
‘HAPPY’
‘THANKSGIVING’
The Facts
Trump's often strongly worded comments on social media have become a hallmark of his political character, particularly since the founding of his Truth Social network.
The slew of messages sent on Thanksgiving contained the familiar pugnacious rhetoric and provocative claims that followed major developments in his life and career, including the raid on Mar-a-Lago, the January 6 committee hearings and Letitia James's investigation into his financial affairs.
Despite a seemingly undeniable excuse to, as tradition dictates, spend time with family and away from social media, the former president could not resist speaking out to his audience of more than 4.65 million followers.
However, as is claimed on Twitter and can be assessed independently, it appears Trump did not manage to, even once, say "happy" or "thanksgiving."
While he did post an infographic about the increases in costs for typical Thanksgiving ingredients, a re-post of a thanksgiving message in praise of Trump, and a thankful article, the former U.S. leader did not explicitly send the season's greetings to his fans, as Newsweek Fact Check found after looking through his feed.
His messages were aimed at, among others, the Supreme Court, the FBI, the Department of Justice and President Biden's son, Hunter Biden. One particularly stark post read "Give me Freedom or give me Death."
By contrast, President Biden tweeted "From the Biden family to all of yours, Happy Thanksgiving. This holiday, we celebrate all that brings us together, grounded in history and our shared hopes for the future."
Trump has used Thanksgiving to make sweeping political statements before. In 2021, in a message sent via email, the former president said, "A very interesting time in our Country, but do not worry, we will be great again—and we will all do it together. America will never fail, and we will never allow it to go in the wrong direction.
"Too many generations of greatness are counting on us. Enjoy your Thanksgiving knowing that a wonderful future lies ahead!"
Newsweek reached out to Donald Trump for comment.
The Ruling
True.
Donald Trump did not say "thanksgiving" or "happy" once in the many posts he sent on November 24, 2022. The former president used the day to post comments critical of the FBI, the DOJ and Hunter Biden, among others.
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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