Trump aides admit his Twitter ban has helped clean up his image: report

According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, while Donald Trump has complained about his banning from social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, aides to the former president admitted that his inability to rant and rave about every little thing online has had a direct impact on his approval numbers.

Noting that the social media platforms not only weren't hurt when they booted the twice-impeached president -- and in fact have flourished -- the Journal also pointed out that he is no longer a hot topic on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram since his banishment with mentions plummeting 88 percent.

That decrease in mentions has paralleled a surprising jump in his favorability numbers with the Journal reporting "One year after the violent riot in the Capitol, roughly 52% of Americans said they had an unfavorable view of Mr. Trump compared with 43% who viewed him favorably, according to a FiveThirtyEight.com average of national polls. That 9-point gap compared with a nearly 20-point spread in Mr. Trump’s favorability rating a year earlier, according to the same polling average."

According to Trump's aides, it appears that absence does make the heart grow fonder, particularly when the former president isn't making their jobs harder with his Twitter rants.

"Current and former aides to Mr. Trump said the shift in popularity was largely attributable to the former president’s diminished social-media presence. His constant, often provocative tweets helped galvanize supporters but provided steady ammunition for his detractors. During his time in office, even his most ardent supporters told pollsters they wished Mr. Trump wouldn’t broadcast each grievance and respond to every criticism," the Journal's Michael Bender and Georgia Wells reported.

According to one Trump adviser, "I don’t know a single person in Trump world who regrets that this has happened—not a single one.”

The report adds, "Researchers who study social media said the removal of influential social-media accounts that spread false narratives has reduced the popularity of some of the content on the platforms that the companies deem toxic, although many people have also expressed concern that tech companies get to make these decisions."

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