Not that I am surprised by this, but according to The BBC, Donald Trump’s attempt to create a social network of his own after being thrown off of every other social network on the planet has been branded a “disaster”:
Truth Social might look like Twitter, but it isn’t available on Android phones, web browsers or, apparently, to most people outside the US. And a Republican ally of Mr Trump’s, who did not wish to be identified, said: “Nobody seems to know what’s going on.” On 21 February, Truth Social was one of the App Store’s most downloaded apps — but many who downloaded it were unable to use it. There was an assumption this problem would soon be resolved and Mr Trump would start posting his “truths” in the coming days — but neither of those things happened. My attempt to register, this week, was placed at number 1,419,631 on the waiting list.
While YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook are among the 10 most downloaded apps, according to Similar Web, Truth Social is outside the top 100. Users who find their way in can find the app a little empty, as many big voices on the American right have so far stayed away. Another study found downloads have fallen by as much as 95%. And many are feeling frustrated. “Signed up for Truth Social a couple weeks ago and still on a waiting list,” one Twitter user said, on Tuesday. “By the time I’m off the waiting list and on to Truth Social for real, Trump will be President again,” joked another.
And why aren’t things working? Here’s a big hint:
Truth Social chief executive Devin Nunes said its goal was to be “fully operational” by the end of March.
But quite why the app is having so many problems has baffled experts.
Some have pointed to Truth Social’s partnership with Rumble, a video-sharing platform that looks a bit like YouTube.
Popular with conservatives and the far right, Rumble was supposed to provide a “critical backbone” for the site’s infrastructure.
But if Truth Social is having server problems, why has it taken so long to fix?
“It should take a few days to fix, not six weeks,” a Republican source close to Mr Trump said.
“There’s always going to be hiccups at the beginning – but at this point, I would have thought it would have been resolved.
“Nobody seems to understand why.”
I can take a guess. The people behind Truth Social are in way over their heads and have no clue how to fix this and get things operational. So it sits there and acts as a pretty big source of embarrassment for Trump as a result. One wonders how long it will be before Trump gets fed up, burns it to the ground and pretends it never existed. Because there seems to be no light at the end of this tunnel for Trump.