There are probably more effective ways for former President Donald Trump to unlock his social media accounts than suing Twitter, Facebook and Google for sanctioning him.
He could, for instance, denounce the rioters who stormed the Capitol in his name Jan. 6, publicly accept the legitimacy of his defeat last November and promise not to use his accounts in ways that violate the platforms’ standards. That might persuade the platforms to let him back in.
But that wouldn’t have the same headline-grabbing, money-raising, base-thrilling appeal of federal lawsuits that position Trump as the aggrieved victim of a vast network of government agents, news media outlets and social media companies. Nor would that allow him to cast himself as the champion for a class of such victims or add more federal judges to his enemies list when he inevitably loses his cases.
Trump already has banked the headlines and he’s collecting cash. The only risk to him — the perils of discovery and under-oath deposition — is limited by the likelihood that the court will dismiss his suits nearly as quickly as they materialized Wednesday.
