After being booted from Facebook and Twitter, former US President Donald Trump created his own social media app.
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Former US President Donald Trump’s social media app Social truth became available for download from the Apple App Store on Sunday evening, but some people had trouble creating an account. Despite this, it reached number 1 in the App Store top charts early Monday.
Some users who downloaded Truth Social received an error message when trying to create an account to log into the app.
Screenshot by Queenie Wong/CNET
People who downloaded the app reported seeing error messages when they tried to enter a date of birth, email address or phone number to create an account. “Something went wrong. Please try again,” the message read.
Others said they were put on a waiting list after registering. “Due to overwhelming demand, we have placed you on our waitlist,” read the message, which included a waitlist number. People who pre-ordered Truth Social automatically downloaded the app to their iPhone.
The app’s release underscores Trump’s plans to return to social media after being booted from Facebook, Twitter and YouTube last year. The companies took the rare step of banning Trump, who was president at the time, from its platforms, fearing his remarks could spark violence in the wake of the deadly bombing. Riots of January 6 at the Capitol.
Truth Social, which is similar to Twitter, is also another example of alternative social media apps like Parler, Gettr and Rumble that conservatives have flocked to due to censorship concerns. Facebook and Twitter have long denied intentionally removing conservative content. Companies have rules against hate speech and incitement to violence, but users don’t always agree with how they interpret those policies.
The Trump Media and Technology Group first announced it was launching Truth Social in October as part of an effort “to resist the tyranny of Big Tech.”
CEO Devin Nunes, a former Republican congressman, said FoxNews Sunday that the app would be rolling out this week to more people in Apple’s App Store. The company aims to have the app fully operational by the end of March at least in the United States, he told Fox News.
On February 15, Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., posted what he called the former president’s first post on Truth Social: “Get ready! Your favorite president will see you soon!” Around 500 people reportedly started using an early version of Truth Social, Reuters reported last week.
TMTG did not respond to questions about the app launch.
