For the first time in years, Donald Trump is starting to disappear in the background, according to SocialFlow data that tracks the number of clicks on news articles.
The big picture: During the first month of his post-presidency, Trump remained as debated as he was when he was in office, when he dominated traditional and social media. Their numbers have plummeted in recent weeks.
- During the first four weeks after he stepped down, Trump’s daily clicks on articles – indexed at 100, based on the ups and downs over the past year – averaged 53.
- In the past two weeks, the average has dropped to 21.
Between the lines: Part of the reduction was by choice. Trump’s CPAC speech on February 28 was his only public appearance since leaving office, and his media appearances have been limited to a few calls over the network.
- Another part of the crash was forced on him: he no longer has his social media accounts, including his once dominant Twitter feed.
- In recent days, he has resorted to publishing tweet-like press releases.
By the numbers: Interest in Trump last year peaked during the week of the January 6 siege of the Capitol, according to SocialFlow data. It was also high during election week and when he contracted the coronavirus.
- even though high audience for Trump’s speech at CPAC, the day after the address marked its day of least traffic since January 2020.
The end result: After four years of being subsumed by Trump, the political and media worlds are adjusting to their new normal.