Former US president Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Delaware, Ohio. Reuters
Former US president Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Delaware, Ohio. Reuters
Former US president Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Delaware, Ohio. Reuters
Former US president Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Delaware, Ohio. Reuters

Trump claims he won't rejoin Twitter after Elon Musk purchase


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Former US president Donald Trump said on Monday that he has no intention of rejoining Twitter even if his account is reinstated following Elon Musk agreeing to buy the social media company for about $44 billion.

Mr Trump told Fox News that he will instead focus on his own platform, Truth Social.

The platform has been mired in problems since its launch earlier this year.

“I am not going on Twitter. I am going to stay on Truth,” Mr Trump was quoted as telling the network.

“I hope Elon buys Twitter because he’ll make improvements to it and he is a good man, but I am going to be staying on Truth.”

Mr Trump was barred from major social media platforms after the deadly January 6 insurrection, with Twitter citing the “risk of further incitement of violence".

The decision denied him the ability to speak directly to his followers, which had been integral to his political rise. Before his account was banned, he had about 89 million followers on Twitter.

Mr Musk, the world’s wealthiest person and a self-described free speech absolutist, had said he wanted to buy and privatise Twitter because he believed it wasn’t living up to its potential as a free speech platform.

It had raised questions about whether he might reinstate Mr Trump’s account as the former president lays the groundwork for another White House run in 2024.

Mr Trump has continued to make claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to President Joe Biden, since leaving office and it is unclear how Mr Musk would approach those statements if Mr Trump were to return to the site.

“Any negotiations to sell Twitter to Musk must include clear enforceable mechanisms to uphold and maintain existing community standards, including the removal of those who violate those standards,” progressive group Media Matters for America president Angelo Carusone said in a statement.

In recent weeks, Mr Musk has voiced a number of proposed changes for the company, including relaxing its content restrictions. He has said he would be “very reluctant” to delete content and would be cautious of permanent bans.

After being kicked off social media platforms, Mr Trump launched his own social media app and sued Twitter, Facebook and Google’s YouTube, claiming he and other conservatives had been wrongfully censored, even though posts by conservative commentators are routinely the most widely shared.

“Truth Social will be a voice for me,” he said. “And that’s something nobody else can get.”

At a rally in Ohio on Saturday, Mr Trump urged his supporters to join him on Truth Social. His most recent post is from two months ago.

  • Former US President Donald Trump attends a rally to boost Ohio Republican candidates before the May 3 primary election. Reuters
    Former US President Donald Trump attends a rally to boost Ohio Republican candidates before the May 3 primary election. Reuters
  • US Senate Republican candidate JD Vance, a writer and lawyer, was endorsed by Donald Trump for the coming primary elections. Reuters
    US Senate Republican candidate JD Vance, a writer and lawyer, was endorsed by Donald Trump for the coming primary elections. Reuters
  • Supporters of former US president Donald Trump gather for a Save America rally at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in Ohio. EPA
    Supporters of former US president Donald Trump gather for a Save America rally at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in Ohio. EPA
  • Supporters of former US president Donald Trump at Saturday's Save America rally. EPA
    Supporters of former US president Donald Trump at Saturday's Save America rally. EPA
  • The crowd at the Save America rally at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in Delaware, Ohio. EPA
    The crowd at the Save America rally at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in Delaware, Ohio. EPA
  • At the Save America rally. Reuters
    At the Save America rally. Reuters
  • Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose was acknowledged by former president Donald Trump at Saturday's Save America rally at the Delaware County Fairgrounds. AP
    Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose was acknowledged by former president Donald Trump at Saturday's Save America rally at the Delaware County Fairgrounds. AP
  • A Trump supporter at Saturday's rally holds up an image of the former US president. AP
    A Trump supporter at Saturday's rally holds up an image of the former US president. AP
  • A Trump supporter wears a 'God and guns' T-shirt as she waves two American flags at the Save America rally on Saturday. AP
    A Trump supporter wears a 'God and guns' T-shirt as she waves two American flags at the Save America rally on Saturday. AP

“Go out and sign up now,” he told them. “Have a lot of fun.”

More than one million users downloaded the app after its launch but interest appears to have waned amid technical glitches and long wait times to access accounts.

Agencies contributed to this report

World record transfers

1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m

The more serious side of specialty coffee

While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.

The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.

Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”

One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.

Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms. 

The biog

Favourite pet: cats. She has two: Eva and Bito

Favourite city: Cape Town, South Africa

Hobby: Running. "I like to think I’m artsy but I’m not".

Favourite move: Romantic comedies, specifically Return to me. "I cry every time".

Favourite spot in Abu Dhabi: Saadiyat beach

Another way to earn air miles

In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.

An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.

“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.

Fixtures:

Wed Aug 29 – Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30 - UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1 - UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2 – Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4 - Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6 – Final

THE BIO: Mohammed Ashiq Ali

Proudest achievement: “I came to a new country and started this shop”

Favourite TV programme: the news

Favourite place in Dubai: Al Fahidi. “They started the metro in 2009 and I didn’t take it yet.”

Family: six sons in Dubai and a daughter in Faisalabad

 

Name: Peter Dicce

Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics

Favourite sport: soccer

Favourite team: Bayern Munich

Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer

Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates 

 

Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015

- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Haltia.ai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Arto%20Bendiken%20and%20Talal%20Thabet%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20AI%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2041%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20About%20%241.7%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self%2C%20family%20and%20friends%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Trump v Khan

2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US

2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks

2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit

2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”

2022:  Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency

July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”

Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.

Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”

Updated: April 25, 2022, 11:45 PM