Donald Trump reportedly told associates that Google sabotaged its new social media platform by not making it available on Android devices.
“Is Google trying to fuck me?” the former president asked friends and advisers in the weeks after Truth Social rolled out. His remarks were reported by Rolling Stone.
Truth Social, which was created as a right-wing alternative to Twitter after Trump was banned from the microblogging site for his role in the January 6, 2021 riot at the United States Capitol, launched in February.
The app is only available on Apple devices. As of Thursday, Truth Social can no longer be downloaded by anyone using Android, which controls nearly 70% of the global operating system market and 42% of the domestic market.
“He keeps hearing about how Google and YouTube have done it for him… including on Truth Social, and I think he takes [it] seriously,” a source told Rolling Stone.
Despite Trump’s suspicions, Truth Social is inaccessible to Android users because it has yet to file the required paperwork to get its Play Store listing approved, Rolling Stone reported, citing “a person familiar with the matter and two Trumpworld sources with knowledge of the situation.”
The Post has reached out to the former president and Google for comment.
Trump has touted Truth Social and vowed to stay off Twitter despite Elon Musk’s promise to reinstate the former president’s account if the Tesla boss completes his $44 billion takeover of the San Francisco-based company.
Since its launch, Truth Social has experienced technical issues and the departure of key executives despite having been downloaded approximately 1.4 million times, according to Sensor Tower.
Last month, Trump repeatedly raised the subject of Google’s alleged banning of Truth Social. He is said to have wondered aloud if the company was trying to “fuck me”.
On at least one other occasion, the 45th president asked his associates, “What’s going on with Google?”
Devin Nunes, the former GOP congressman who was named CEO of Truth Social’s parent company, Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), said earlier this month that he expects the application is available on web browsers by the end of May.
In a post on the platform, Nunes also said that Truth Social has not yet been approved for launch in the Google Play store for Android devices.
“At the end of May, we will launch PWA (web browser), which will allow access from any device,” Nunes wrote. “After that, we’ll launch an Android app…pending Google’s approval!” »
Availability in the Google Play and Apple App stores is critical to the app’s ability to scale.
Truth Social was launched on the Apple App Store on February 21 and was for some time the most downloaded free app.
TMTG plans to go public through a merger with blank check company Digital World Acquisition Corp. The deal is being reviewed by the Securities and Exchange Commission and is likely months away from being finalized.
With post wires
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