To stand up to 'big-tech tyranny,' Trump announces social media site

Former US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he is launching a new media company, which would have its own social media platform. This decision comes after nine months of him being banned from social media for his role in inciting the Capitol insurrection of January 6.

Trump said that his goal in launching the Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) and its TRUTH Social app, is to create ‘a rival to the Big Tech companies’ that have ‘shut him out’, and denied him the ‘megaphone that was paramount to his national rise.’

“I created TRUTH Social and TMTG to stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech,” Trump was quoted as saying by AFP.

“We live in a world where the Taliban has a huge presence on Twitter, yet your favorite American President has been silenced,” Trump said in a statement, adding that it was unacceptable.

In a release, the new venture announced that it has been created through a merger with Digital World Acquisition Corp., and said that it seeks to become a publicly listed company.

Trump had spoken about launching his own social media site ever since he was barred from Twitter and Facebook. An earlier effort to launch a blog on his existing website was abandoned, after the page drew dismal views.

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In addition to the app, which is expected to soft-launch next month, with a nationwide rollout early next year, the company says it is planning a video-on-demand service that will feature entertainment programming, news, and podcasts.

(With inputs from Agencies)