After being removed from major platforms in 2021, former President of the United States Donald Trump is making his social media comeback. His much-anticipated “Truth Social” app became available to download from the iOS App Store shortly before midnight, eastern time, prior to Presidents’ Day on February 21.
The app has been advertised as a platform that allows users to post their “truth” as they would tweet, without being discriminated against for their political ideology. Some users, however, were placed on a waiting list or had trouble registering for an account “due to massive demand”.
It seems somewhat ironic that Mr Trump would make his return to social media shortly before Presidents’ Day, after his ban from Facebook, Twitter and YouTube following the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021.
Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), the venture responsible for Truth Social, is led by former Republican US congressman Devin Nunes, who has expressed hope that the app will be fully operational in the US by the end of March.
Truth Social joins a growing portfolio of new technology and social media companies that promise their users freedom of speech and aim to appeal to those who feel their voices are suppressed on more established platforms.