Donald Trump’s Social Network Banned In App Store
Donald Trump’s been having quite a month. When he doesn’t have the FBI searching his house, he’s got a failing social media network to deal with. It seems like his social app Truth Social is facing even more troubled waters, as it was recently banned from the Google Play store. Google told Axios the reason behind the ban, citing that the app is violating its terms of service by lacking effective systems to moderate content on the platform.
While Truth Social hasn’t been completely removed from devices — it’s still available on the Apple App store for now — they’re missing out on a huge market by not having the app on Google Play. According to Axios, Android users make up 44% of all smartphone users. This is a pretty major blow to an app that is already flailing as it is. Truth Social quickly came to fruition after Donald Trump was banned from Twitter in the wake of the Capitol Riot on January 6 in 2021. Since its inception, Truth Social has been anything but successful.
Recent reports from Fox Business stated that Donald Trump’s Truth Social had missed payments of nearly $2 million to its web host, RightForge. According to the reports, RightForge may pursue legal action soon if they don’t get the money they’re owed. RightForge wouldn’t be the first to deal with missed and late payments from Donald Trump-run businesses. For instance, there was the 2016 USA Today report that uncovered over 3,500 legal cases where business owners and workers alleged that Trump had failed to pay them for services rendered.
In addition to Truth Social’s unpaid bills and being banned from the Google Play store, they’re facing another huge obstacle to success — they’re not making any money. According to reports, the company may not bring in any revenue until 2023. To clarify, that’s just revenue. Presumably, it’ll take much longer for it to start turning a profit if that day even ever comes. With Donald Trump’s current legal issues, the unpaid invoices, the Google Play ban, and the lack of money, it doesn’t seem like Truth Social is poised for success.
The true death knell for Donald Trump’s social media network would be if Apple decides to ban them from their app store as well. With that being said, it’s possible that Truth Social could work to make sure they’re not violating Google’s terms of service. This would allow them to get back into the Google Play store and put them back on track, at least in the sense that they’ll be available to 44% of the smartphone market again. It remains to be seen if Truth Social will agree to comply with Google’s content moderation policies, but it seems like it would be a pretty bad move for them to fight against it. Although Google said that making the change is up to Truth Social, the Trump Media and Technology Group CEO Devin Nunes has stated “We’re waiting on them to approve us, I don’t know what’s taking so long.” Whether or not Google does change its mind, it certainly seems like Truth Social has a lot to worry about.
