What we know so far about Trump’s planned social media platform

Enlarge this image


Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced plans to launch his own social networking platform called TRUTH Social, which is expected to begin its beta launch for «invited guests» next month.





Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images



hide caption



toggle caption


Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images



Technology
Oversight Board slams Facebook for giving special treatment to high-profile users



Untangling Disinformation
Democrats Want To Hold Social Media Companies Responsible For Health Misinformation

Trump and others have claimed that the major tech platforms try to silence conservative voices — though some, notably the commentator Ben Shapiro, have found huge popularity because of their presence on social media.

In response to what he and allies viewed as Big Tech censorship, Trump first teased starting his own social media company back in March.

His former close adviser Jason Miller has since started his own social platform called GETTR. In a statement Wednesday night, Miller said that «Trump has always been a great deal-maker, but we just couldn’t come to terms on a deal.» Miller congratulated Trump on the launch of his company.

TRUTH Social claims it will be a place that «encourages an open, free, and honest global conversation without discriminating against political ideology.» And yet, its terms of service forbids users from using the platform to «disparage, tarnish, or otherwise harm, in our opinion, us and/or the Site.»

As NPR’s Domenico Montanaro reported in March when Trump first floated the idea of launching such a platform, the whole project is at tough one in which to find success. First, competing with the massive influence and reach of existing platforms is a big challenge — one other conservative platforms haven’t managed to get much traction on, either. Also, Trump has in the past had many pie-in-the-sky ventures that haven’t worked out — and he’s facing his own brand problems in the wake of his presidency and the violence on Jan. 6, so the scope of who would participate in the platform would likely be limited.

Another outstanding question is what role the site might play if Trump decides to run for president again in 2024, and if it would serve as a big enough megaphone when he no longer has the immediate influence he had on Twitter.