Trump takes on Twitter: Ex-POTUS tipped to launch own social media app to rival tech giant | World | News


The former US President and his digital adviser Dan Scavino are understood to be considering getting involved with a number small social media networks including FreeSpace. Mr Trump was famously banned from Twitter on January 8, two days after supporters stormed the US Capitol building, in a move that stopped him from communicating with his 90 million followers. Facebook followed suit the next day and other social media sites subsequently imposed blackouts of their own.

Rumours that the former President wants to create a new media company to broadcast his message have been swirling for several weeks.

Senior Trump aide Jason Miller told Fox News: “I do think that we’re going to see President Trump returning to social media in probably about two or three months here, with his own platform.”

But some experts said FreeSpace would be considered an odd choice as the app has only 20,000 downloads and is branded around “the power of possibility”.

The app describes itself as being “backed by science to positively reinforce good habits and make the world a better place”.

It urges users to share daily habits and actions that will inspire others to duplicate them through posting on an Activity Wall and meeting in chatrooms.

The app launched on February 1 in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is understood to have advised him against joining far-right social media groups Parler and Gab after his ban from mainstream social media networks was announced.

Twitter explained its decision to permanently suspend Trump’s account in a statement on January 8.

It said: “After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them – specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter – we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.”

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Twitter bosses announced last month that the ban would stand.

Executive Ned Segal told CNBC: “When you’re removed from the platform, you’re removed from the platform.

“He was removed when he was president and there’d be no difference for anybody who’s a public official once they’ve been removed from the service.”

Facebook has asked its independent oversight board to rule on whether to bar Mr Trump permanently and he is still suspended from YouTube.

Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg said there was content related to the riot on its platforms but, when asked if the company bore responsibility for the event, he said the company’s responsibility was to “build effective systems.”

He told the virtual meeting: “We did our part to secure the integrity of the election, and then on January 6 President Trump gave a speech rejecting the results and calling on people to fight.”



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