From a ban on an account mocking Devin Nunes to a look-alike app that's been downloaded more than 100,000 times, suffice it to say that the launch of former-President Donald Trump's social media app, Truth Social, has been less than perfect. The app became available on Apple's
By the time Monday morning rolled around, Truth Social held the top spot among free apps on Apple's store. This includes the automatic downloads for users who had pre-ordered the app.
However, downloading the app does not mean that users will be able to immediately make an account. Hundreds of thousands of users have been placed on a waitlist, and others reported issues trying to register in the first place. Users placed on hold received a message stating, "Due to massive demand, we have placed you on our waitlist." Users also struggled with the app's buggy registration and sign-up process.
Prior to its official launch, Truth Social was made available to select users for testing purposes. The app is similar to Twitter
The app was created by Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), headed up by former Republican Representative Devin Nunes.
Truth Social, as well as TMTG itself, is meant to be Trump's answer to the censorship he's seen on other platforms. Trump was banned from Twitter, Facebook
TMTG now owns a collection of tech companies aimed at championing free speech, particularly for users who feel their views won't be tolerated on other sites. Truth Social is promoting itself as a platform "free from political discrimination." The platform claims that it will have less content moderation than other sites.
Which is why commentators are surprised that a user was banned for attempting to create a @DevinNunesCow account on Truth Social. A parody Twitter account called @DevinCow has gained considerable popularity over the years by pretending to be a cow owned by Nunes. Nunes was once a dairy farmer.
According to the user, Truth Social said the ban was the result of a "community guidelines violation", though a specific guideline was not included. According to CNET, one of TMTG's terms of service is a rule against behavior meant to "disparage, tarnish, or otherwise harm, in our opinion, us and/or the Site."
"Unlike with the Big Tech platforms, there will be no shadow-banning, throttling, demonetizing, or messing with algorithms for political manipulation," Trump said of the app. "We will not be treating users like lab rats for social experiments, or labeling alternative views as 'disinformation.' We will not silence our fellow citizens simply because they might be wrong - or worse, because we think that Americans 'can't handle the truth.'"
The waitlist to join Truth Social is already nearly half a million users long, and it could have been even longer. The app was launched for iOS on Sunday, but there currently is no Android
In August 2021, an app called "MAGA Hub - Truth Social Trump" was added to the Google Play Store. That Germany-based app has now been downloaded more than 100,000 times, with the majority of those downloads coming after Feb.8. On the Android app store, the MAGA app was the top result for "Truth Social" searches as of Tuesday.
While Truth Social is roughly modeled off of Twitter, the German app is more photo-focused. Users are automatically subscribed to a global group chat, and the app features $28.99 in-app purchases, though what it is selling is unclear.
