For the first time in years, Donald Trump is starting to fade into the background, according to SocialFlow data tracking the number of clicks to news articles.
The big picture: During the first month of his post-presidency, Trump remained as discussed as he was when he was in office, when he dominated social and traditional media. His numbers have plunged the past couple weeks.
- During the first four weeks after he left office, daily clicks to Trump articles — indexed to 100, based on highs and lows during the past year — averaged 53.
- In the last two weeks, the average has fallen to 21.
Between the lines: Part of the decrease has been by choice. Trump's CPAC speech on Feb. 28 was his only public appearance since leaving office, and his media appearances were limited to a few network call-ins.
- Another part of the drop has been forced upon him: he no longer has his social media accounts, including his once-dominant Twitter feed.
- In recent days, he has resorted to issuing tweet-like press releases.
By the numbers: Interest in Trump over the last year peaked during the week of the Jan. 6 Capitol siege, per the SocialFlow data. It was also high during election week and when he contracted the coronavirus.
- Despite high viewership for Trump's CPAC speech, the day after the address marked his least-trafficked day dating back to January 2020.
The bottom line: After four years of being subsumed by Trump, the political and media worlds are adjusting to their new normal.