Trump Twitter Clone Launch Reportedly Delayed Until March

Former President Donald Trump's upcoming social network, called Truth Social, is currently listed on the App Store with an "expected" February 21 release date (Presidents' Day), but The New York Times reports the launch has been postponed till March.

Based on screenshots on the App Store, Truth Social looks set to be quite similar to Twitter, which was Trump's preferred social network before it was permanently banned following the January 6 riots at the US Capitol. Truth Social will be their second attempt at making some kind of new platform; he launched a blog in May, but it was closed in less than a month. The new app is being created by Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG), the Trump media company run by former US Representative Devin Nunes.

While the date change might suggest the app is having some development issues, it has already been rolled out to around 500 beta testers, according to Reuters. However, the Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that intends to take TMTG public, which may also be a reason for the delay.

It appears that Trump is one of Truth Social's beta testers and has made the first post of it, although he himself cannot share that information on Twitter. Donald Trump Jr., who still has Twitter privileges, tweeted a screenshot of Trump's first Truth Social post: "Get ready! Your favorite president will see you soon!"

According to Reuters, Trump's Truth Social account had 317 followers as of Wednesday night. On Twitter, Trump had 88 million followers when he was banned. TMTG did not respond immediately to a request for comment on the app's release date. It's unclear if the app will be available on platforms other than iOS, though you can join a waiting list on the Truth Social website.