“Trumper” — Donald Trump said to be considering starting his own social media network
Banned from all of the major social media networks for violating their terms of service by constantly promoting false information and conspiracy theories — primarily about unproven election fraud and how he really won an election that he in actuality lost by over seven million votes — Donald Trump is reportedly considering launching a social media platform of his own.
Jason Miller, a senior advisor to the disgraced former White House occupant, revealed the news on the Breitbart News Channel of satellite broadcaster Sirius XM yesterday.
https://twitter.com/parlertakes/status/1358457083843272708?s=20
Appropriately for the notoriously narcissistic, twice impeached ex-commander in chief, the name under consideration for the proposed platform could be Trumper.
While no other details of the fledgling venture were disclosed — other than that it could be launched in the not-too-distant future — the news comes after the revelation that, while Trump was still in office, the Trump Organization held discussions with Parler to make that social media platform his exclusive online home in exchange for a 40% interest in the company.
That deal — which would likely have faced intense legal scrutiny under bribery regulations — never was consummated, largely because the social media platform that markets itself as a haven for “free speech” and had attracted large numbers of right-wing extremists and QAnon conspiracy theorists before it became a haven for insurrectionists planning an attack on the Capitol was de-platformed by its technology providers shortly after the events of January 6th.
While Parler has found a way to return to the internet thanks to the assistance of Russian web-hosting companies, its reach has been severely curtailed, and now it appears as if Trump would prefer complete control of any social media platform he deigns to grace with his presence, the better to prevent him from being unceremoniously booted from his access without notice.
Talk about dangerous media silos!
Whether any social media platform potentially started by Trump could actually become a profitable enterprise depends on how the business model for the platform would be designed.
If it has a subscription membership model, such a business could prove to be quite lucrative for Trump if he can convince his deluded followers to fork over a hefty monthly subscription fee to read his words of non-wisdom.
If it goes for an advertising-based model, however, the venture could face a more problematic environment as advertisers tend to shy away from platforms that host people urging drastic actions and fomenting controversial conspiracy theories, particularly after the violent insurrection at the Capitol.
Trump may believe that his damaged brand value still retains more worth than it actually still has, but the invisible hand of the market — as well as the avalanche of lawsuits likely coming his way — may prove to be more of a headwind than he thinks when it comes to launching a new social media venture.
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