Trump shuts down new media platform permanently after less than a month online
Former President Donald Trump’s new communications platform launched after being banned from social media was permanently removed from his website after less than a month online.
Trump launched the “The Desk of Donald J. Trump” communications platform on May 4 as a way of posting comments, images and videos and having one-way communication with his followers after he was banned from major social media platforms.
On Wednesday, news broke that the platform has been shut down. Jason Miller, a senior advisor for Trump, told CNBC the former president’s page “will not be returning.”
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“It was just auxiliary to the broader efforts we have and are working on," Miller added.
Miller said he hopes to have more information on “broader efforts” soon.
When asked on Twitter if the removal of “The Desk of Donald J. Trump” section of the former president’s website is the “precursor” to him joining another social media platform, Miller responded, “Yes, actually, it is. Stay tuned!”
Yes, actually, it is. Stay tuned! https://t.co/USKGvVXe2f
— Jason Miller (@JasonMillerinDC) June 2, 2021
When users visit the blog page, they are directed to sign up for updates and alerts from the former president.
Trump launched the platform after he was kicked off leading social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube, following the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6. Platforms alleged allowing his account to stay active risked the incitement of further violence.
Social media data collected by NBC News on May 11 showed that Trump’s new platform was attracting a “considerably smaller audience than his once-powerful social media accounts,” according to data from social media analytics company BuzzSumo.
At that the time of NBC’s article, the former president’s new blog had a little over 212,000 engagements, which is a fraction of the engagement the president received when a single tweet might generate hundreds of thousands of interactions.
When the platform was first unveiled, Miller tweeted that the “website is a great resource to find his latest statements and highlights from his first term in office,” but specified it is not “a new social media platform.”
Before being banned, Trump had 88 million followers on Twitter, 32 million on Facebook and 24 million on Instagram, according to NBC News.
In March, Miller told Fox News he believes the former president will return to the social media scene soon, hinting at a new social media platform.
"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," Miller told Fox News' "#MediaBuzz.” "And this is something that I think will be the hottest ticket in social media, it’s going to completely redefine the game, and everybody is going to be waiting and watching to see what exactly President Trump does."
????President Trump’s website is a great resource to find his latest statements and highlights from his first term in office, but this is not a new social media platform. We’ll have additional information coming on that front in the very near future.???? https://t.co/m9ymmHofmI
— Jason Miller (@JasonMillerinDC) May 4, 2021
Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation last week to punish Big Tech censorship and protect the ability of Floridians to participate freely in online platforms.
This bill will allow Floridians to sue "totalitarian" Big Tech platforms that violate this law, which goes into effect July 1.Trump is a resident of Florida and resides at his Palm Beach estate.
The law states that social media platforms have “unfairly censored, shadow banned, de-platformed, and applied post-prioritization algorithms to Floridians” in the past and the state has "a substantial interest in protecting its residents from inconsistent and unfair actions by social media platforms."
Emily Wood is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: emily.wood@christianpost.com
