Truth Social: Trump wants to 'SAVE' US with new social media company
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Donald Trump, the former president of the United States, has announced the establishment of his own social media site, 'Truth Social.' In the aftermath of the January 6 insurgency at the US Capitol, Trump's accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and Google's YouTube were suspended.
On Tuesday, former President Trump claimed that his proposed new social media company Truth Social is a philanthropic endeavour to offer a voice to his fans who have been "silenced by Big Tech," rather than a big-bucks money-making scheme.
"We have fallen far down the 'slippery slope' of censorship in our country, and the topics that Americans are increasingly forbidden to debate are among the most important issues of our day," Trump said in a lengthy statement.
"We are inviting people of all political stripes, and all different viewpoints, to come and participate once again in the great American debate," he said.
"That's what our country is supposed to be about," the statement read.
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The ex-president, who was banned from Twitter after a mob of his supporters invaded the Capitol last year, fueled by false claims about last year's election, to stop the Electoral College vote certification, framed his effort as an attack on Big Tech and what he claimed was its censorship.
Trump said that he was the "only person in America with the megaphone, the money, the expertise, and the drive" to develop the platform, and that 'Truth Social' was a critical step toward restoring democracy.
Trump is still the de facto Republican Party leader and is considering a candidacy for the White House in 2024.
However, the efforts taken by social media firms to ban him from their platforms after January 6 have greatly harmed his capacity to influence news cycles and engage with millions.
(With inputs from agencies)