The launch of Truth Social is reportedly imminent and the commentary on Twitter is already heating up.
Former President Donald Trump’s social media app will launch on Apple’s app store on Monday, according to Reuters, which reportedly accessed a test version of the app this week.
Trump has been banned from Twitter and other mainstream social media sites for more than a year and is suing the company along with Facebook and Google, accusing them of censorship and claiming they infringed his First Amendment rights. He was banned after he violated each of the companies’ user policies with his inflammatory rhetoric about the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
He attempted to recover his online presence last year with the launch of a blog, which tanked after a month.
He’s now trying to rival Twitter with his new service, casting it as an alternative that champions free speech, though some critics have already predicted it’s destined to fail like so many other Trump-branded ventures before it.
Last week, Donald Trump Jr. sparked derision when he went on Twitter of all places to promote and recruit for Truth Social.
Already, the app has been criticized for its resemblance to Twitter. Tech experts have also highlighted a number of major security issues throughout the testing phase, including one which reportedly allowed a Daily Dot reporter to secure the same handle as Trump on the company’s internal beta system.
Some users who pre-ordered the app said late Sunday that it was available in Apple’s app store, though they reported issues with creating an account.
Vocal right-wing Trump allies including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) and Arizona state Rep. Wendy Rogers lauded the launch of the app Sunday and tweeted they had already registered profiles.
Trump critics rounded up some “Truths” of their own and predicted how the venture would play out.