'TRUTH Social': Donald Trump set to launch his own social media platform
Nine months after being expelled from social media for his role in inciting the January 6 Capitol insurrection, former President Donald Trump said Wednesday he's launching a new media company with its own social media platform.
Trump says his goal in launching the Trump Media & Technology Group and its “TRUTH Social" app is to create a rival to the Big Tech companies that have shut him out and denied him the megaphone that was paramount to his national rise.
“We live in a world where the Taliban has a huge presence on Twitter, yet your favorite American President has been silenced," he said in a statement. “This is unacceptable.”
In a release, the new venture announced it had been created through a merger with Digital World Acquisition Corp. and said it seeks to become a publicly listed company.
Trump has spoken about launching his own social media site ever since he was barred from Twitter and Facebook. An earlier effort to launch a blog on his existing website was abandoned after the page drew dismal views.
In addition to the app, which is expected to soft-launch next month, with a nationwide rollout early next year, the company says it is planning a video-on-demand service that will feature entertainment programming, news and podcasts.
Meanwhile, Trump's longtime aide Jason Miller had launched his own social media company called GETTR in July. However, Trump denied joining Miller's platform shortly after it launched, writing in a statement, "I am not on any social media platform in any way, shape, or form, including Parler, GETTR, Gab, etc. When I decide to choose a platform, or build or complete my own, it will be announced. Thank you!".
ALSO READ: Trump goes to court; asks Twitter to temporarily restore his account
