Donald Trump declared in October that he was going to start a new technological firm.
“I founded Truth Social to challenge big tech’s oppression,” he stated.
“We live in a world where the Taliban has a sizable Twitter following, but your favorite US president has been silenced.”
The software was introduced on Presidents’ Day, February 21, but has been plagued by issues six weeks later. It has an approximately 1.5 million people on the waiting list who are unable to utilize it.
1,419,631 is a unique number
Truth Social resembles Twitter, which barred Mr. Trump from posting when a crowd of his followers stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Twitter alleged that Donald Trump, by making false allegations the presidential election had been “stolen”, had incited violence. On January 8, 2021, he was given a lifetime ban.
Truth Social may resemble Twitter, but it isn’t available on Android phones, web browsers, or, it appears, to the majority of people outside the United States.
“It’s been a nightmare,” NYU’s Center for Social Media and Politics director Joshua Tucker said.
“Nobody appears to know what’s going on,” a Republican ally of Mr Trump said, declining to be identified.
Truth Social was one of the most downloaded applications on the App Store on February 21st, yet many people were unable to use it.
This difficulty was expected to be rectified quickly, and Mr Trump would begin releasing his “truths” in the coming days, but neither of these things occurred.
This week, my effort to register was ranked 1,419,631st on the waiting list.
While YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook are among the top ten most downloaded applications, Truth Social is not among the top 100, according to Similar Web.
Many prominent voices on the American right have remained away, so those who find their way in may find the app a little barren.
According to another survey, downloads have dropped by as much as 95%.
Many people are dissatisfied.
On Tuesday, one Twitter user remarked, “Signed up for Truth Social a couple weeks ago and still on a waiting list.”
“Trump will be President again by the time I’m off the waiting list and on to Truth Social for real,” one joked.
Experts are perplexed
Truth Social’s CEO Devin Nunes stated that the company hoped to be “completely operational” by the end of March.
Experts are mystified as to why the app is having so many issues.
Truth Social’s connection with Rumble, a video-sharing site that resembles YouTube, has been cited by some.
Rumble, which is popular among conservatives and the far right, was expected to supply the site’s infrastructure with a “vital backbone.”
But, if Truth Social is experiencing server issues, why has it taken so long to resolve them?
“It should just take a few days to repair, not six weeks,” according to a Republican source close to Trump.
“There will always be snags in the beginning, but I would have assumed it would have been sorted by now.”
“No one appears to be able to explain why.”
Competitors who are competitors
Mr. Trump is reportedly enraged, questioning why more individuals aren’t utilizing Truth Social.
He has about 750,000 followers, yet has not released a “truth” in over a month.
Mr Tucker speculated, “Perhaps they’re keeping him back.”
“That’s his final chance to launch it – when suddenly Trump comes in and begins being really active on it, that will build a buzz.”
Despite its bad press, Truth Social has the potential to compete with Gab and Gettr.
Mr. Trump retains his star power, and any “free speech” app would go to great lengths to have him on board.
Truth Social, on the other hand, has recently gotten a little awkward.
A platform that was expected to be able to take on Silicon Valley’s giants has struggled to get off the ground.
