Pontius Pilate once asked, "What is truth?" Jesus of Nazareth didn't respond, but if former President Donald Trump had been in Jerusalem that day, he might have had an answer ready.
Trump's new social network, TRUTH Social, is almost exactly like Twitter but with red verification checkmarks, "truths" instead of "tweets," and — most importantly — Trump himself.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The former president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., shared a cropped screenshot of the "truth" on Twitter. Right-wing journalist Liz Willis shared a less-cropped version, which revealed that Trump currently has 175 followers on the platform and follows no one. His "truth" had 48 likes, 27 "re-truths" (if that's the correct term), and seven replies.
The app, which also looks like Twitter, is still in an invitation-only beta. The full version is set to go live Monday, according to its Apple App Store page, but Trump Media CEO Devin Nunes told Newsmax earlier this month that the app won't launch until the end of March.
According to MSNBC, TRUTH Social also "missed its self-imposed November deadline" to release the beta.
One explanation for the delays could be a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into the merger of TRUTH parent company Trump Media and the special purpose acquisition company Digital World Acquisition Corp.
Social networks de-platformed Trump after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, accusing him of spreading misinformation and inciting violence. Since then, after a failed attempt at running his own blog, Trump has held out for TRUTH Social, communicating via emailed statements and declining to create accounts on alternative right-wing platforms like Parler and Gettr.
-
Why are Trump's health rumors about more than just presidential fitness?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Extended absences and unexplained bruises have raised concerns about both his well-being and his administration's transparency
-
'The McDonald's menu board is one fascinating thing'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearingSpeed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mountSpeed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own listspeed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battleSpeed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
-
Florida aims to end all state vaccine requirementsSpeed Read Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to cut vaccine access and install anti-vaccine activists at the FDA and CDC
