The U.S. election is over, with former President Donald Trump winning a second term in office after a divisive and emotion-charged campaign.
Which also means that Elon Musk is a big winner, and that his social media experiment X is set to get a new lease of life, with the platform now potentially able to secure new support and partnerships to assist in its ongoing business.
And unsurprisingly, X is touting its “record-high” usage as part of its broader victory lap.
As you can see in this overview, X claims that the platform saw more posts than ever on election day, while mobile user seconds also hit a new record in the app.
For context, in September last year, X reported that it sees 500 million posts per day, while active mobile user seconds in the app reached a record of 339 billion in the app in January this year. So a big increase in posts, less of an increase in time spent, but still, a lot of engagement on X for Election Day.
X also saw a big lift in new user sign-ups, which is not overly surprising given that many Threads users were frustrated at its lack of real-time content focus, making it hard to keep up with the latest news in the app, while its aversion to political content also restricted its capacity to be a key source of key information and discussion on the night.
Which saw many heading back to X for the latest. And now, X will be hoping to ride that momentum, and the broader support for Trump, into a new era for the app, which could see it regain support from ad partners, as a result of the vote.
Why? Because X, which has clearly aligned itself with right wing talking points under Musk, had been viewed to be more divisive, and less representative of the U.S. public. But now, many will need to reassess that impression, with many voters clearly aligning with Musk’s perspective in supporting Trump and the agenda set forward by his team.
That could see a softening of views on the app, while it may also draw more people back to X, attracting more advertiser interest as a result.
Musk will also now be able to sell X’s political influence to other parties around the world, and how his own support of Trump helped to win him office for a second term. That could help X secure broader support if Musk can help others to also get elected, while Musk will also be looking to win more investment for X to keep it afloat, in order to maximize his own political power.
Of course, Elon might also be tied up reviewing government overspending, which is a role that Trump has tagged for Musk in his new administration. But a Trump win is clearly a positive for X, and will open the potential for more opportunities to get the platform back on track.
Though X’s revenue is still down significantly on what it had been under its former Twitter management, and it’s got a long way to go to get its business back on track. Had Trump lost, that could have ended Musk’s social media experiment entirely, but more doors will now open, which should see Musk find more ways to at least afford it new opportunities.
And if its Election Day usage numbers are anything to go by, there is potential there.
For most of the year, it’s seemed like X was on a clear path to financial ruin, as more and more ad partners pulled out, and its alternative revenue options continued to sputter. But now, things are looking up, which could see X gain more momentum in 2025.
