Starting Monday, Trump's new social networking app will be slowly rolled out
Key Takeaways:
- "Truth Social," Donald Trump's next social media platform, is expected to start this week and will be "fully operational" by late March.
- The former President is accused of inciting his followers to use violence in an attempt to overturn the election results in 2020.
Donald Trump's latest social media network, "Truth Social," is set to launch this week and will be "totally operational" by late March, potentially reviving the former President's profile more than one year after being banned from major social media platforms.
"We'll start rolling out to folks on the Apple App Store this week," said Devin Nunes, CEO of the Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), which owns the new app. On conservative Fox News on Sunday, the former Republican congressman said.
"I believe we'll be completely operating by the end of March — at least within the United States," said Nunes, who resigned from the US House to oversee the Trump group.
Truth Social, according to Trump, is an alternative to Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, which all banned him when his followers attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The former President is charged with encouraging his supporters to commit violence to reverse the election results in 2020.
On Sunday, the App Store opened up pre-orders for Truth Social, released on Monday, Presidents Day in the United States.
"Seeing folks on the podium who have had their voices canceled is extremely touching for me," Nunes added.
'The truth is on its way.'
"We want (customers) to tell us what they want on the platform," he explained, "rather than some Silicon Valley tech oligarch freak telling people what they want to think and dictating who can and can't be on the platform."
On Monday, Trump and his wife Melania Trump intend to sell 10,000 non-fungible tokens (NFTs) depicting crucial periods in Trump's administration. NFTs are digital photographs that have been certified and may be purchased and sold.
"TRUTH is coming..." tweeted Rep. Elise Stefanik, the third-ranking Republican in the House, on Friday, referring to the foreboding catchphrase from the HBO series "Game of Thrones" ("Winter is coming").
"I'm so pleased to be on TRUTH!" she said in a screenshot of her message on Truth Beta, the beta version of the new site.
On Twitter, Donald Trump Jr. remarked, "Time for some Truth!!!" and included what he said was his father's first post on Truth Social: "Prepare yourselves! You'll be seeing your beloved President shortly!"
TMTG did not immediately reply to AFP's request for comment.
The firm is said to have a $1.25 billion cash reserve as it tries to carve out a position in the competitive conservative social media sector, including sites like Gettr, Parler, and Gab.
Trump had 89 million Twitter followers before being banned, and he used the medium frequently to make official comments as well as to attack opponents.
Trump, who is 75 years old, has indicated but never declared if he will run for President again.
He is presently embroiled in many investigations and lawsuits, including one involving his tax returns and another about his attempts to cling to power after losing the 2020 election.