A month Ahead of what is likely to be a brutal Republican presidential primary, Donald Trump and his 2024 campaign are laying the groundwork for a massive and bombastic return to major social media platforms. , such a return would entail Trump ruining one of his own companies.
When Trump first founded the Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), he agreed to a “social media exclusivity clause” and “all social media communications first” on his Truth Social account before posting content. I had to send 6 hours to . Other platforms, according to SEC filings.
Since late last year, former President Trump has notified several people close to him that he does not want to re-sign an exclusive deal with his social media company Truth Social, two sources familiar with the matter say. rice field. rolling stone“There won’t be a need for that,” one of the sources recalled, how Trump explained contractual obligations that were about to expire.
The 18-month period for that requirement ends in June. Just because the Republican primary is expected to start heating up. After that, Trump’s exclusivity term will automatically renew for another six months “unless notice is given.” Even if exclusivity expires, Trump “must post on Truth Social at the same time.”
“He said he had an expiration date and didn’t want to make any commitments,” another source said.
When asked if Trump plans to continue making Truth Social his personal social media home, Trump said: rolling stone During a recent appearance on Newsmax by TMTG CEO Devin Nunes, the former California congressman said Trump “has no interest in returning to Twitter.”
Of course, others disagree. A person close to Trump who recently spoke with the former president about Twitter said: rolling stone Sunday: “It can’t be helped [Nunes’ statement] It’s true. ”
Whatever the duration of the exclusivity, Trump’s deal with the company will give him greater freedom in his campaign for the 2024 presidential election. According to SEC filings, his agreement exempts posting so long as the content “is specifically related to political messages, political fundraising, or voting campaigns.”
Recent reports of growing restlessness on Trump’s own platforms mean when the former president, who was banned from mainstream social media for inciting deadly riots, may return to some of those platforms. Twitter, now owned by right-wing billionaire Elon Musk, reinstated Trump’s account in November, but Trump disputed and said he would stay on Truth Social. The Trump campaign has also put pressure on Facebook to end the indefinite suspension of his account that was implemented after the January 6, 2021 attacks on the Capitol.
Introduced meta spokesperson rolling stone In a statement issued before the Trump campaign requested his reinstatement, the company said it would make a decision “in the coming weeks, following the process we laid out.” A statement made in early January suggested that a decision regarding the account could be announced relatively soon.
Meta’s Independent Oversight Board upheld the company’s decision to restrict his account in a May 2021 ruling, but called the undefined suspension period given to Trump “arbitrary.” Re-evaluate it.
If meta officials reinstated the account, Trump would face a moderation process involving new and potentially tougher reviewers than the environment he faced during his presidency.
Previously, users could only appeal a company’s decision to remove content, but in April 2021, the jurisdiction of the board of directors will be expanded to include “removed from Facebook and Instagram”. Third parties can now object to content that they believe should be. If Trump returns to Facebook, his posts could face a second layer of scrutiny by an independent oversight board.
As NBC News reported Wednesday, Trump began asking officials for their thoughts on returning to Twitter and suggestions for a first tweet.someone in the know speaks rolling stone Some of these ideas Trump has privately discussed include tweets featuring well-crafted WWE-style campaign videos of the former president returning to the platform and then back to the White House. One of the sources said Trump has been in the process of a possible first barrage of new tweets in recent weeks, some focused on insulting President Joe Biden and others comparing himself to Superman. It states that it rattles off a topic privately.
Other ideas, however, include picking the scabs from the January 6 attacks. According to a source familiar with the matter, Trump and some of his closest allies said he was now “silent” even though he lied about “election fraud” to try and “silence” him. I’m brainstorming about tweeting that I’m back.
