Trump tried selling Truth Social media platform to Musk

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Washington Post
12 Mar 2024 17:41

Despite efforts to sell, discussions did not lead to any agreement.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Rome Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

The Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing two people with knowledge on the matter, that former US President Donald Trump reportedly tried to sell his social media platform, Truth Social, to Elon Musk.

The sources said that the discussion took place during the Summer of 2023. At the time, the platform was in a long-delayed merger process.

Trump Media, the proprietor of the Truth Social platform, was confronting a bleak financial forecast at that time, the sources said. Before his pre-2024 presidential candidacy, Trump indicated in his financial disclosure that his 90% stake in the company was valued at up to $25 million, with his personal benefits hovering just under $200.

Despite efforts to sell, discussions did not lead to any agreement, the report said. Trump remains committed to both maintaining and improving the financial worth of his social media platform. He is also adamant with his advisors and inner circle that Musk should consider purchasing Truth Social.

When questioned about the call, Musk stated that he had never visited Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

Truth Social emerged as a "free-speech" alternative to Twitter following Trump's suspension from the platform due to his posts regarding the January 6 Capitol riot.

On that day, hundreds of the former president's supporters breached the building in an attempt to impede Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election.

Around 1,358 defendants have been charged in the 38 months since then, according to the latest figures from the Justice Department released last week. About 500 have been sentenced to prison terms.

Yesterday, Trump pledged to free people jailed for taking part in the riots as one of his first actions if reelected, calling them "hostages."

He also promised to shut down the border with Mexico as part of his first acts if reelected, without providing details.

What do liberals think of this?

Results from a survey conducted by a Rasmussen poll on Monday revealed that the majority of liberals expressed a desire for Democratic members of the US Congress to refuse to certify the election results for Trump if he were to win.

The poll which surveyed 912 American voters found that 57% of Democrats voiced such a desire, while 35% of total voters support the refusal to certify results in favor of Trump.

However, the poll also indicates that a majority of voters, comprising 55%, oppose such a move, with 44% strongly opposing it.

Will there be another Capitol riot led by Democrats this time? The matter is up for debate.