'You can't make this stuff up': Reaction to Trump's Truth Social is mixed

Asha C. Gilbert, USA TODAY

October 21, 2021 at 1:33 PM·3 min read

Former President Donald Trump Wednesday said he would launch a new social media platform after being shut out of major sites like Facebook and Twitter, but the announcement itself was short on specifics and did little to explain what users might or might not expect.

Trump in the past has announced upcoming events or ventures that have not materialized, such as often-promised plans while in office for a health care overhaul.

The former president's announcement also lacked details on how exactly he was involved, whether as a licensing deal as with many of his real estate ventures or any further work.

In a statement, Trump said he was excited " to send out my first TRUTH on TRUTH Social very soon" and that the app "would stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech."

The app will have a soft launch next month with "invited guests."

The reaction to his announcement has been mixed.

"TRUTH Social is going to Make Social Media Great Again!," user @LangmanVince tweeted.

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Some social media users didn't share the same excitement for the app and its planned rollout in the first quarter of 2022.

"Starting a rival social media company called TRUTH Social to stick it to Big Tech, by selling it on the Apple store, is like trying to stop election interference, by physically going to the Capitol to stop a fair and free election," Film Director Jeremy Newberger tweeted.

Here are some reactions to the former president's latest venture:

I’m so excited for Truth Social!

Trump Media & Technology Group will do great things for America!
— Nick Adams (@NickAdamsinUSA) October 21, 2021

Starting a rival social media company called TRUTH Social to stick it to Big Tech, by selling it on the Apple store, is like trying to stop election interference, by physically going to the Capitol to stop a fair and free election.
— Mr. Newberger (@jeremynewberger) October 21, 2021

TRUTH Social is going to Make Social Media Great Again!
— Vince Langman (@LangmanVince) October 21, 2021

I just told my Wife that trump is starting a social media company called Truth Social and she started cracking up immediately, "That's the opposite of fake news!" 🤣🤣
— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) October 21, 2021

I wonder if Truth Social will feature a donation option?!🤔

Trump Media & Technology Group Parler #ThursdayThoughts pic.twitter.com/p3eqJb9hSb
— Charli Huxley (@ImKnotTheOne) October 21, 2021

I cannot wait for the inevitable hack of Trump Media & Technology Group and its TRUTH Social network that reveals everyone's personal information was stored in plaintext records and the database password was password.
— Richard Jeter (@MilesToGo13) October 21, 2021

Chances of Truth Social being hacked within 24 hours of its launch are, conservatively, nearly 100%
— William Turton (@WilliamTurton) October 21, 2021

Breaking: Facebook is renaming itself as Truth Social
🙂
— Richard Signorelli (@richsignorelli) October 21, 2021

Contributing: Jeanine Santucci

Follow reporter Asha Gilbert @Coastalasha. Email: agilbert@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump's Truth Social goes viral on Twitter as users react

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