by Sharon Rondeau
(May 4, 2021) — On Tuesday, the political website donaldjtrump.com launched a new page in which Trump’s comments, many of which appear at Gab.com, are posted, with the opportunity for readers to share them on Facebook and Twitter and to “like” them.
The new section appears under the “Save America” slogan and is titled, “From the Desk of Donald J. Trump.”
Some in the media appear to have rushed to the conclusion that the new “blog” represents the social-media “platform” said in March by Trump advisor Jason Miller to be under development and expected to launch “in 2-3 months.”
On January 8, Trump’s Twitter account was suspended indefinitely on the claim that his comments would incite further violence following the “insurrection” at the U.S. Capitol two days earlier. He was similarly prohibited from posting at Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube and other sites on both a personal and presidential level, with the media failing to question the constitutionality or far-reaching consequences of those decisions made by “Big Tech” and their smaller counterparts.
Despite Trump’s having left office on January 20 amid strident claims that he won the election over Democrat Joe Biden, who was inaugurated the same day, the media, which includes YouTube, continues to insist Biden won the election, ridicule anyone questioning it without themselves investigating, and show an unmistakable animus toward Trump and the political movement he spearheaded in 2015 of “Make America Great Again.”
“After months of promising his own social media network for banned posters, former President Donald Trump on Tuesday launched a new section of his website that’s essentially just a WordPress blog,” The Verge reported Tuesday. “The new ‘platform’ is styled like a generic version of Twitter but hosted as a running blog of commentary from Trump. People can sign up for post alerts on the platform through their email and phone numbers and are allegedly able to like them, although that function doesn’t appear to work as of publication. Users are also allowed to share Trump’s posts on Facebook and Twitter. The Twitter sharing option doesn’t currently work, but Facebook’s does allow people to share Trump’s posts.”
On April 10, Business Insider published an article titled, “Trump’s plan to start his own social media platform is doomed to failure, say experts.”
The contact form at donaldjtrump.com leads to a portal shared by his post-presidential organization, 45office.com, to which The Post & Email submitted an inquiry through the “Press” section as to whether or not the communications blog represents the new social-media endeavor referenced by Miller.
“It is unclear if the website is part of Trump’s hinted plan to start his own social media platform, with advisers hinting in recent days that the former president planned to ‘move forward’ on the idea,” The Washington Examiner reported Tuesday.
However, in the course of researching the issue, this writer discovered via The Guardian that Miller clarified on Twitter Tuesday that “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.”
Miller’s comment, which included a graphic of Trump along with Twitter’s bird symbol and Facebook’s logo, a small “f” contained in a blue circle, provided a link to a Fox News article reporting the “exclusive” story about Tuesday’s launch of the new page.
The Post & Email received an acknowledgement to its website inquiry which states:
Thank you for your inquiry. Our staff is currently reviewing your request.
Due to the volume of similar demands, we will respond only if we require additional information or if there is an opportunity for President Donald J. Trump to participate.
Thank you for your understanding.