Truth Social, the social media platform launched by former President Donald Trump, is now available for download in Apple’s app store but without the fanfare of a fully functional platform.
Users who downloaded the app starting Sunday night have instead been instructed to join a waiting list, though there have been numerous complaints of errors preventing people from getting that far. Trump Media & Technology Group CEO Devin Nunes told Fox News on Sunday that he thinks the app, which was reportedly designed to be launched on Presidents Day, will be “fully operational” by the end of March for those in the U.S.
The app was launched by Trump as a means to give users a place to speak freely without the rules and constraints imposed by large tech companies like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Trump was permanently banned from Twitter last year after he was accused of inciting his supporters to use violence to overthrow the result of the 2020 presidential election.
Twitter determined that his online behavior created a “risk of further incitement of violence.” He was suspended from Facebook and Instagram for two years, and from YouTube indefinitely, for similar reasons.
In addition to rules on hate speech and violence, many social media sites have imposed rules on sharing misinformation surrounding COVID-19 and vaccines.
Nunes, in his Fox News interview, said Truth Social will serve as a platform for people, like Trump, who have been “canceled.”
“It’s actually very moving for me to see people who are on the platform that had their voice canceled. And that’s our main goal here, to give people their voice back,” he said.
Over the past week, the Truth Social platform has already been made available to “prominent users, including influencers, politicians and celebrities,” according to Fox News.
The platform’s semi-debut follows the launch of a number of similar right-leaning social media platforms in recent years. These include Twitter alternatives Gettr, which was launched by a former Trump adviser, and Parler, which was financially bolstered by a prominent GOP donor.