Trump’s blog shuts down for good following weak engagement

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Former President Donald Trump’s blog page “From the Desk of Donald J. Trump” has been permanently shut down, per his spokesman Jason Miller Wednesday.
• Miller hinted that Trump would be moving to a different “social media platform.”
• The blog has failed to gain public interest amid Trump’s huge following when he was still on Facebook and Twitter.

According to former President Donald Trump’s spokesman Jason Miller, Wednesday, the ex-president’s blog page has been taken down for good after less than a month of existence.

Trump’s senior aide Jason Miller confirmed the news to CNBC via email.

“From the Desk of Donald J. Trump” would “not be returning” since it “was just auxiliary to the broader efforts we have and are working on,” Miller wrote.

“Hoping to have more information on the broader efforts soon, but I do not have a precise awareness of timing,” he added, while declining to give further details on future ventures.

When Miller was asked on Twitter if the decision was just a “precursor” to Trump’s potential move to a different “social media platform,” he simply gave a confirmation.

“Yes, actually, it is. Stay tuned!,” he replied.

During the launch of the blog, it was dubbed as Trump’s new “communications platform.” Back then, Miller said that the page was “a great resource” to know the president’s standpoint, but noted that it was “not a new social media platform.”

During his tenure in the White House, Trump and his supporters have continually criticized social media giants Facebook and Twitter, among many others. The GOP leaders then had accused these platforms of being politically biased towards conservative ideals.

After the infamous January 6 US Capitol attack by pro-Trump mob, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube opted to suspend the ex-president’s account in a bid to mitigate further violence by his supporters. Trump has also repeatedly falsely claimed massive election fraud, and that the presidency was stolen from him.

Before his abrupt social media exit, the former leader boasted of having millions of Facebook and Twitter followers. 

According to NBC News, Trump’s blogsite had barely gained even a portion of his social media popularity a week after its launch, based on the tracking made by BuzzSumo.

Despite his social media absence, Trump has appeared in several news interviews and public appearances. His official statements on issues were regularly shared through his office and Save America, his political action committee.

Source: CNBC