Trump launches his own propaganda platform - critics fear huge fraud
Created: 01/16/2022, 16:58
By: Jonas Raab
Donald Trump's new Twitter alternative, Truth Social, can already be pre-ordered in the App Store.
© ZUMA Wire/imago
In February, Donald Trump celebrates his social media comeback on his self-founded "conservative Twitter alternative".
Experts suspect a financial coup by the ex-president.
Palm Beach - "We live in a world where the Taliban are on Twitter, but your favorite president has been silenced," Donald Trump fumed in October 2021. The former US president, who once loved to tweet, was referring thus to the blocking of his social media channels in the course of the storming of the Capitol. "This is unacceptable," Trump complained - and announced the creation of his own social media platform:
Truth Social
, "the conservative Twitter alternative".
Trump's media network is now in the starting blocks.
The platform is scheduled to go live on February 21, Presidents' Day, a national US holiday.
"I look forward to sharing my first truth on
Truth Social
very soon ," the 75-year-old said in a recent statement.
Truth Social: Donald Trump launches Twitter alternative and promises an 'internet sensation'
Truth Social
is supposed to resemble Twitter externally.
The way it works is also the same: Users can create and personalize an account, follow others – and above all share “truths” with them.
The advertising slogan: "Don't be surprised if your truth becomes an internet sensation!"
Trump's Twitter copy can already be pre-ordered in Apple's App Store.
"Users can share their unique opinions, truths, photos, news articles and video links to communicate with friends, customers and the world," the app description reads.
No one will be discriminated against because of their political ideologies, so the promise.
But the fine print in the terms of use is tough.
Donald Trump is trying to make a comeback on social media – the first attempt failed
Truth Social
comes as no surprise - after all, the former US President announced plans early on after his social media ban.
It's not the Republican's first comeback attempt either: in May last year, Trump tried to expand his blog "From the Desk of Donald J. Trump" into a social media platform.
The attempt failed because the reader numbers were missing.
The project was quickly scrapped.
So now try again.
The signs seem to be better this time, because according to a survey by Morning Consult/Politico from autumn 2021, over 60 percent of all reported Republicans want to use Truth Social in the future.
However, experts fear that Donald Trump has bigger plans for his platform than his own social media comeback.
Truth Social goes live in February: Here's what's behind the 'conservative Twitter alternative'
Former Republican Rep. Devin Nunes
will lead
Truth Social .
Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) is behind the new platform.
Trump also wants to launch a video service and a podcast network through the company, which was founded in 2021 – and, according to the website, compete with industry giants such as Facebook or Netflix.
As Vanity Fair
magazine
reported in October 2021 under the headline “Trump's new social media company is possibly his biggest scam”, the ex-president plans to merge his TMTG with the public company Digital World Acquisition Corporation.
That means it should go public.
Is Truth Social a move by Trump?
"He would have all the money"
Financial expert Matt Levine considers this a Trump move, as he explains to
Bloomberg News
: If Trump called on his supporters to buy shares, then they would do so too.
"And if the company didn't make a profit - which I assume it does - he would still have all the money," says Levine.
His conclusion: Trump enriches himself with Truth Social even if the platform does not become profitable.
(yeah)
