''Truth Social by Former President Donald Trump - Facebook or Truth Social?''
Former US President Donald Trump has announced plans to launch a new social media network, called TRUTH Social.
''Former President Donald Trump announced Wednesday he plans to launch his own social media platform called Truth Social, after he has been banned from several other popular social media sites.''
TRUTH Social will be created through a new company formed by a merger of the Trump Media and Technology Group and a special acquisition company (SPAC), according to a press release distributed by both organizations.
“We live in a world where the Taliban has a huge presence on Twitter, yet your favorite American President has been silenced. This is unacceptable," Trump said in a written statement included in the release.
"I am excited to send out my first TRUTH on TRUTH Social very soon. TMTG was founded with a mission to give a voice to all. I'm excited to soon begin sharing my thoughts on TRUTH Social and to fight back against Big Tech," he said.
The social network, set for a beta launch next month and full rollout in the first quarter of 2022, is the first of three stages in the company's plans, followed by a subscription video-on-demand service called TMTG+ that will feature entertainment, news and podcasts, according to the news release.
"The transaction values Trump Media & Technology Group at an initial enterprise value of $875 Million, with a potential additional earnout of $825 Million in additional shares (at the valuation they are granted) for a cumulative valuation of up to $1.7 Billion depending on the performance of the stock price post-business combination," it stated.
"Given the total addressable market and President Trump's large following, we believe the TMTG opportunity has the potential to create significant shareholder value," DWAC chief Patrick Orlando said in the statement.
Free-speech battles
For years, Trump, who wielded Twitter in particular as a rhetorical weapon during his presidency, has battled tech giants whom he argues have wrongfully censored him.
The free-speech fight escalated when Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the rest of the world's dominant social media platforms banned him as punishment for stirring up the mob that ransacked Congress.
Ever since, Trump has been looking for ways to reclaim his internet megaphone, launching several lawsuits against the tech giants.
In May, he launched a blog called "From the Desk of Donald J. Trump," which was touted as a major new outlet -- but he pulled it from the internet just a month later.
Former Trump aide Jason Miller launched a social network called Gettr earlier this year, but the Republican has not yet joined it.
Shortly after TRUTH Social was announced, Miller congratulated Trump on "re-entering the social media fray."
"Now Facebook and Twitter will lose even more market share," he said in a statement tweeted by Gettr.
Facebook banned Trump indefinitely on January 7 over his incendiary comments that preceded the Capitol insurrection, later narrowing the ban to two years.
Twitter quickly followed, permanently suspending Trump's account -- which had more than 88 million followers at the time -- due to the "risk of further incitement of violence."
Trump has begun holding public events, including campaign-style rallies, as he seeks to remain the nation's most influential Republican.
He has teased a potential 2024 presidential run but has made no announcement on his political future.
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Latest updates: Donald Trump's social media platform hacked just hours after it was announced
Hackers gained access to a private version of former President Donald Trump’s recently announced social media platform and posted images of defecating pigs, expletives and more, according to multiple reports
The hackers, affiliated with the hacking collective Anonymous, told The New York Times that the move was part of their “online war against hate.”
Using a false account dubbed “donaldjtrump,” the hackers posted the photos of the pigs, wrote profane rants against Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and made a fake account for former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, according to multiple reports. The hackers also posted memes from fake accounts for Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence and others.
“We had a fun time trolling it to high heaven,” Aubrey Cottle, a hacker affiliated with Anonymous told the media.
Cottle told multipleoutlets that the group picked up clues after the site, named Truth Social, made its app available for preorder on Apple’s App Store earlier this week. Users were able to join a waiting list for its release, and hackers claimed these pieces provided enough information to access a version of the platform.
The hackers gained access just hours after Truth Social was announced on Wednesday. The app later barred new accounts and was pulled offline according to multiple reports.
A Washington Post reporter was also able to register and post under an account name “mikepence,” the Post reported.
'You can't make this stuff up':Reaction to Trump's Truth Social is mixed
Politics:Donald Trump announces new social media platform, Truth Social, after being banned from major apps
Trump on Wednesday announced Truth Social – coming months after he was banned from other social media sites.
Trump was blocked from Twitter, Facebook and YouTube following the pro-Trump riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Twitter has said its ban on the former president is permanent, while Facebook said Trump could return in 2023 at the earliest. YouTube has said its ban on the former president will be lifted after a “risk of violence” lowers.
Trump said in a statement Wednesday that Truth Social and the Trump Media and Technology Group will “stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech.” The platform is expected to be released nationwide in the first quarter of 2022.
USA TODAY has reached out to the Trump Media Technology Group for comment on the reported hacking.
I choose Facebook
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