Shortly after its Sunday launch on the App Store, Truth Social, the social media app of President Trump, became the most downloaded app, surpassing the likes of TikTok, YouTube, and HBO Max.
At the same time, the company behind Truth Social, Digital World Acquisition Corp, saw its stock spike by 14% on Tuesday.
Trump Back on Social Media After Big Tech Censorship
After its app was downloaded more than 170,000 times on its first day, the stock price of Truth Social’s owner on Tuesday hit $96.36, which is its highest value since October.
With Truth Social now being the No. 1 free iPhones and iPads app, the rest of the top five are formed by HBO Max, the Talking Ben the Dog app, and then TikTok and YouTube.
On top of everything else, Truth Social appears to be so popular, it has a very long waiting list. On Tuesday, a report by the Daily Mail found there were at least 370,000 users on the waiting list; a day earlier, a report by CNN put the figure at 150,000.
According to the Business Insider, even though Truth Social doesn’t have an Android app yet, an application bearing a similar name – “MAGA Hub – Truth Social Trump” – has already been downloaded by more than 100,000 Trump supporters.
The Android app in question was developed by a firm based in Germany, which charges $29.00 for in-app purchases.
Even though it has been on the market since August, most of its downloads occurred since February 8, seemingly by people seeking to join Truth Social.
Truth social begins today! It’s very cool.
They are limiting the number of signups per day at first – so be patient and sign up early.
No more silencing our voices!
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) February 21, 2022
Truth Social is Already Under Attack
In spite of the stellar start for Trump’s new social media site, there are those who have forecast an unhappy fate for it. ConsultMyApp CEO Mike Rhodes predicted the high interest in Truth Social wouldn’t last for very long.
He stated since the new social media is geared towards “content with a specific viewpoint”, and not diverse views, it would resemble existing “echo chamber platforms” which don’t enjoy large-scale “adoption by the masses”.
Rhodes further painted the gloomy picture of Truth Social ending up as a “forum for reaffirming existing views” with a dedicated, but small community of users.
He argued Trump himself might find a different media outlet and abandon it; then, so would its users.
Trump’s pioneering social media project is coming under attack from other angles as well. TRAILAR, a UK-based solar technology company, is mulling to file a lawsuit against Truth Social because it says the social media’s logo is almost the same as its own.
The company said it has “no affiliation or connection” with Truth Social, and will be seeking to protect its brand.
Ambassador Richard Grenell, a former top-ranking member of the Trump administration, is urging people to be patient with the sign-up process of Truth Social because at first, the number of daily sign-ups is limited.
BREAKING: Trump’s #TruthSocial has reached #1 in the Top Charts of the App Store. pic.twitter.com/GuWXBCuDrr
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) February 21, 2022
BREAKING: in less than 3 hours, over 85k users are in the queue to join Truth Social pic.twitter.com/azxrGLRoYY
— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) February 21, 2022
