Ever since former President Donald Trump was banned from social media, people have been speculating about his next move. Finally, after six months of social-media silence, there are signs that Trump could make his return sooner rather than later. This possibility raises some interesting questions: How will the left react, and what will it mean for the conservative movement?
Photo by Roxelo Babenco 
Trump Adviser Launches Social Media Platform
On the Fourth of July, former Trump senior adviser Jason Miller launched a brand spanking new social media platform called
. He chose this particular date to declare “independence” from Big Tech. The name of the app came from the idea of “getting together.”
“GETTR is a direct challenge to the social media oligarchs from Silicon Valley, and what better day to declare independence from their woke tyranny than July 4th?” Miller said in a statement. “GETTR is the marketplace of ideas. We will not cancel people for their political opinions, and GETTR offers far more features and better technology than anything else out there.”
It appears that the platform is already getting a favorable response. Fox News reported:
“On Sunday, [Miller] touted that while GETTR was only available for a short time during Beta testing, it surged into the top 10 among all free Apps downloaded from the Apple App Store and ranked third among social networking Apps. He added that GETTR ranked two among all free Apps in the Google Play App Store, ahead of the launch.”
Miller indicated that the platform is not intended only for folks who lean right of center. He insisted that it is for anyone of any ideology to join. “We’re not afraid of ideas that challenge our own. That’s what the online experience should always be about,” he said. But the appeal isn’t just the fact that the platform will not censor its users for political ideology, according to Miller. He touted the superior useability of the product, pointing out that users can post longer messages and videos, which can be edited in the app.
Trump has not yet joined the platform. However, Miller told Fox News that the company reserved an account for him. “We certainly hope President Trump will join the platform, but I’ll leave it to him to make decisions on what he’s doing,” he said. The former adviser also noted that Trump is not funding the company.
How Will the Left React?
So far, the reaction from the activist media has been vanilla – no meltdowns quite yet. It seems they are adopting a wait-and-see attitude toward the platform. This is a noticeable difference from how the hard left responded to Parler, another right-leaning social media app that was viciously attacked by Big Tech and the press.
Amazon Web Services stopped hosting the platform, and both Apple and Google’s stores removed the app from their sites. These companies used the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol as justification for these actions. It is not out of the realm of possibility that they will eventually cook up a reason to do the same to GETTR, especially if Trump decides to use the app.
It is worth noting, however, that on the same day of GETTR’s launch, it was targeted by hackers. “A writer for Salon posted screenshots on Twitter of several GETTR profiles, including those of former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Miller himself, that were altered to read ‘JubaBaghdad was here, follow me in twitter :),’ according to Reuters. However, Miller affirmed that “the problem was detected and sealed in a matter of minutes, and all the intruder was able to accomplish was to change a few user names.”
How Will This Impact the Future?
GETTR is not among the first apps to be created to allow right-leaning users to avoid censorship. With varying levels of success, others have attempted to offer an environment in which people can voice their views freely. However, none of these apps have had success with attracting anyone other than conservatives, which means they became echo chambers.
Still, companies like GETTR are still seen as necessary for those who fear being banned from more established social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. They can take solace in the fact that there are other places they can go where they won’t have to worry about being silenced. However, if Trump joins, it could be a game-changer.
When the former president starts posting his commentary on social media again, members of the activist media, who have missed him dearly, will likely swarm to cover every utterance, even though he no longer occupies the Oval Office. GETTR will get a lot of free press, and conservatives will probably join the platform in droves. Either way, it is clear that, even though Trump is biding his time, when he finally makes a decision, there might never be a slow news cycle again.
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Read more from Jeff Charles.
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