Australians can now join the Donald Trump-founded social media platform Truth Social after geoblocking that prevented citizens from most countries from accessing the website was removed.
Last week, former congressman and CEO of Truth Social Devin Nunes announced that the Twitter clone was available to users all over the world. Last Monday he “truthed” — the platform’s verb for posted — a message specifically welcoming Australians.
“Good morning #Australia Glad to have you here @truthsocial,” he said, replying to a truth from an Australian user whose profile bio contained QAnon hashtags.
Truth Social is one of myriad “alt tech” websites created during the Trump presidency and its immediate aftermath as mainstream tech companies increased their moderation efforts, cracking down on hate speech and misinformation.
These platforms targeted users with the promise of “open and honest conversations without discriminating on the basis of political ideology”, a nod to a long-running, substance-less grievance that big tech companies are biased against conservative users.
What separates Truth Social from platforms such as Gab, Parler and GETTR is the involvement of the former US president. The platform is run by the Trump Media & Technology group and it became Trump’s social media home after he was suspended from platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. Until recently, it was only accessible in the US, Canada, Germany and Brazil.
As Truth Social’s most-followed user, Trump picks up where he left off from Twitter with stream-of-consciousness truths that opine on political issues, complain about his legal troubles (including breaking news of an indictment for charges that he will face court for in Miami hours from now), attack his opponents and spread lies to his 5.4 million users.
“The DeSanctimonious Polls are crashing because of his stance on Obliterating Social Security and Medicare. Nothing he will ever do is going to change his votes. Attracting small crowds that leave early, never a good sign!” Trump posted late last night Australian time.
A week in, few prominent Australians appear to have joined. The biggest names so far include former MP turned blogger and conservative activist George Christensen and freedom movement citizen journalist Real Rukshan. A search for usernames featuring “Aussie” or “Australian” reveals dozens of small accounts, many of which include references to QAnon and other conspiracies.
This seeming lack of interest from Australians reflects a broader malaise for the platform. Financial documents revealed that Truth Social had just 5 million users after a year of use, with downloads of the app plummeting after a hot launch. Meanwhile, Twitter has shifted to the right under Elon Musk, negating much of the appeal of Truth Social.
Despite this, Trump remains loyal to Truth Social — for now. In November, Musk restored Trump’s Twitter account and invited the former host of The Apprentice back but to no avail. Shortly after the decision, Trump posted to Truth Social that he would remain on his platform: “Don’t worry, we aren’t going anywhere. Truth Social is special!”
