As they laid the groundwork for the reelection campaign in 2020, Trump advisers recognized that being banned from Twitter could prove devastating. There were ongoing conversations with the president last year about making Facebook his primary social media outlet instead, with aides regarding it as a more conservative-friendly platform. Conversations about Parler continued into the summer. But Trump always fell back onto Twitter.

Current and former Trump advisers were taken aback by Twitter’s announcement of the ban, with some conceding that it could severely hamper his ability to communicate as he approaches post-White House life. One former top adviser to the president remarked: “Without Twitter, he is just a guy talking to himself.”

What platform Trump turns to next is unclear. After Wednesday’s deadly storming of the Capitol, Facebook and Instagram announced that Trump would be banned “indefinitely,” at least through President-elect Joe Biden’s Jan. 20. inauguration. YouTube has yet to ban Trump, but announced earlier in the week that it would suspend any channel echoing baseless claims of voter fraud, something Trump has given voice to.