Trump can stay on Truth Social with his fans. Good riddance.
Donald Trump spent his Easter weekend acting up on Truth Social, his social media platform that just went public amid mixed financial results.
He posted one of his trademark all-caps holiday messages on Sunday, as well as dozens of articles about himself and different screenshots of other peoples’ posts.
“HAPPY EASTER TO ALL, INCLUDING CROOKED AND CORRUPT PROSECUTORS AND JUDGES THAT ARE DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO INTERFERE WITH THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 2024, AND PUT ME IN PRISON, INCLUDING THOSE MANY PEOPLE THAT I COMPLETELY & TOTALLY DESPISE BECAUSE THEY WANT TO DESTROY AMERICA, A NOW FAILING NATION,” he wrote.
He also shared posts criticizing President Joe Biden for recognizing Transgender Day of Visibility, which happened to coincide with Easter Sunday this year.
The posts are further proof of how off-the-rails the former president is and remind us Trump operates comfortably on a side of social media that we’re free to ignore – but still need to check in on every so often during this presidential election.
Those posts come after Truth Social went public last week. The stock for Trump Media & Technology Group fell on Monday after a Securities and Exchange Commission filing revealed it lost $58.2 million last year and had a revenue of just $4.1 million. It’s not really surprising, considering it only appeals to the most devoted of Trump’s acolytes.
Trump hidden away
So it can be a relief to have Trump relegated to a platform that will mainly attract the MAGA crowd. I had him blocked on Twitter for a long time so I seldom see his rantings unless there is news coverage.
Trump’s followers, though, haven’t left mainstream sites completely. You’re still guaranteed to find his supporters on X (previously Twitter), Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. They are still engaging with posts about the former president, and they are still getting outraged over anything they disagree with. That’s different than having Trump’s rantings on my social media feed.
Truth Social exists for Trump the MAGA supports to talk to themselves uninterrupted by liberals and contrarians. They’ve created their own echo chamber and locked themselves happily inside.
I’m glad they can stay over there.
Gen Z ignores Truth Social
For most Americans, Truth Social was barely registering two years ago. A Pew Research Center study from 2022 (the most recent data available) found that only 27% of Americans had heard of the site.
This February, it had 5 million users – roughly 1.5% of the U.S. population.
There isn’t public information on the demographics of Truth Social users, but I’d presume that Gen Z makes up a small percentage of its overall users.
Thirty-seven percent of voters ages 18-29 (who include some millennials) voted for Trump in 2020. Of that group and any first-time voters, it’s unlikely that anyone except the biggest Trump fanatics would be using Truth Social to keep tabs on the the former president.
Personally, I use social media for work and entertainment. I can see Trump’s posts on Truth Social without having to actually make an account. There’s no reason for me to be on there otherwise.
As for the rest of Generation Z, the majority of us probably aren’t hate-following the former president or keeping up with his every move of Fox News. There are better things to do.
Keep an eye on what Trump says
But as easy as it is to just let Trump share his increasingly erratic thoughts, we can’t forget he’s the presumptive Republican nominee and a former American president.
Trump will continue to say whatever he wants, no matter how unhinged it is. On the one hand, this is what we’ve come to expect from him and it can start to feel normal.
On the other hand, a platform like Truth Social has the potential to allow the far right to further fuse with the Republican Party. It allows the kind of people who would riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to congregate under their leader and find camaraderie among other Trump superfans. At least they face the potential of an opposing viewpoint when they’re on mainstream sites.
I’m perfectly fine with Trump keeping his echo chamber to himself until November. Once the election is settled, the fate of Truth Social will be as well. Until then, most of us will keep ignoring him.
Follow USA TODAY elections columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter, @sara__pequeno and Facebook facebook.com/PequenoWrites