Former President Donald Trump returned to an old haunt, Twitter, now known as X, on Monday with a lengthy campaign video that recounts his political rise and defiance of indictments brought by Democratic prosecutors.

“The only crime that I’ve committed is to fearless defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it,” Mr. Trump says over a montage of him speaking to large crowds and traveling in the presidential motorcade.

The clip runs for over two and a half minutes, and it is notable because Mr. Trump is set to return to the X platform for an interview late Monday with its owner and leader, Elon Musk. Mr. Trump used the social messaging service to fuel his political rise and win the presidency in 2016, and he often used the platform to fire officials, attack critics and make big policy announcements.

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The new video is ominous and defiant, suggesting  America is in a dangerous and fragile position under President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Mr. Trump is trying to blunt Ms. Harris’s momentum after taking over for Mr. Biden as the leader of the Democratic ticket. She’s attracting large crowds in swing states and enjoyed favorable media attention from her selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.

A weekend poll from the New York Times and Sienna College showed Ms. Harris enjoying a four-point lead in the swing states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. 

The Trump campaign says Ms. Harris is enjoying a short-lived honeymoon period and will come back to Earth as voters get a better understanding of her policies. Recent media reports suggest Mr. Trump’s inner circle wants the ex-president to remain focused on policy issues instead of focusing on such items as Ms. Harris’s racial identity or the relative size of the rally crowds.

Earlier Monday, Mr. Trump used his own social media platform, Truth Social, to accuse Ms. Harris of stealing his ideas, including a tough stance on border security and a proposal to eliminate taxes on wages earned through tips.

“She sounds more like Trump than Trump, copying almost everything,” Mr. Trump wrote. “She is conning the American public, and will flip right back. I will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! There will be no flipping!!!”

Twitter’s previous ownership booted Mr. Trump because of his actions before and during the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, though Mr. Musk reinstated Mr. Trump after purchasing the platform and renaming it X.

Mr. Trump has only used the platform twice since then, posting his mug shot from Georgia last year and Monday’s video.

Mr. Musk endorsed Mr. Trump’s presidential bid after a Pennsylvania shooter tried to assassinate the GOP nominee on July 13.