Truth Social, Donald Trump’s social media platform has launched on the App Store, CNET has reported.
Earlier, according to Reuters, Donald Trump’s new social media venture, Truth Social, appears set to launch in Apple’s App Store on Monday. It’s potentially marking the former president’s return to social media on the US Presidents Day holiday.
Late Friday, a verified account for the network’s chief product officer, identified as Billy B., responded to questions about the app from users invited to test it during its beta phase.
“We’re currently set for release in the Apple App Store for Monday, February 21st,” he said, according to Reuters. Incidentally, the 21st marks the Presidents’ Day holiday in the US.
On Feb. 15 Trump’s eldest son Donald Jr. posted on Twitter a screenshot of his father’s verified @realDonaldTrump Truth Social account with one post, or “truth,” that he uploaded on Feb. 14: “Get Ready! Your favorite President will see you soon!”
‘The truth is coming’
Truth Social has been touted as America’s “Big Tent” social media platform that encourages free speech without discriminating against political ideology.
“TRUTH is coming…” congresswoman Elise Stefanik, the third-ranking House Republican, tweeted Friday. She posted a screen grab of her message on Truth Beta, the test version of the new site, saying, “I’m so excited to be on TRUTH!”
Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), the venture behind Truth Social, will join a growing portfolio of technology companies positioning themselves as defenders of free speech in an effort to attract users who feel their views are being suppressed on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
It’s led by former Republican U.S. Representative Devin Nunes.
“This week we will begin to roll out on the Apple App Store. That’s going to be awesome, because we’re going to get so many more people that are going to be on the platform,” Nunes said in a Sunday appearance on Fox News’ ‘Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo’.
“Our goal is, I think we’re going to hit it, I think by the by the end of March we’re going to be fully operational at least within the United States,” he added.
“It’s actually very moving for me to see people that are on the platform that have had their voice canceled,” Nunes said.
“We want (customers) to tell us what they would like to have on the platform, which is the opposite of some Silicon Valley tech oligarch freak telling people what they want to think and deciding who can or cannot be on the platform,” he said.
In addition to the post disclosing Monday’s launch date, the screenshots show the app is now at version 1.0, suggesting it has reached a level ready for public release. As late as Wednesday, it was at version 0.9, according to two people with access to that version.
According to Apple’s App Store listing, Truth Social is scheduled to launch on Feb. 21, a date confirmed in January by a source familiar with the venture. However, Nunes stated publicly in recent weeks that the app would launch by the end of March.
According to a person familiar with the matter, Nunes was on the app on Friday urging users to follow more accounts, share photos and videos, and engage in conversations, in an apparent attempt to increase activity.
TMTG is planning to list in New York through a merger with Digital World Acquisition Corp (DWAC), and stands to receive $293 million in cash that DWAC holds in a trust, assuming no DWAC shareholder redeems their shares, TMTG said in an Oct. 21 press release.
Additionally, in December TMTG raised $1 billion committed financing from private investors; that money also will not be available until the DWAC deal closes.
Update 2/21/2022 2:28 AM ET: Truth Social has indeed appeared in the iOS App Store, though some users are reportedly having trouble creating accounts, according to CNET.
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