Hundreds of beta testers using early version of Trump social media app: report

Around 500 beta testers have already begun using former President Trump’s new social media network ahead of its scheduled launch, according to a report from Reuters.

Trump announced the development of his social media network called Truth Social in October. The platform is expected to fully launch some time in March.

Liz Willis, correspondent and vice president of operations at Right Side Broadcasting Network, told the newswire that she had received an email on Tuesday saying, “T Media Tech LLC has invited you to test Truth Social.”

According to Willis, she was able to download the app and users have been posting on to the platform for the past 24 hours.

Conservative podcast host Wayne Dupree also told Reuters that he was among the platform’s beta testers. Dupree said that there is currently no edit button.

“I can see my participation in Truth Social outgrowing Twitter because it seems I am not suppressed like I have been on Twitter, since 2016,” Dupree said. “I want to share my single dad chronicles. I want my followers to see I am more than politics and I feel Truth Social is going to allow my audience to see me as Twitter purposely does not.”

Twitter has continuously denied having a political bias on its platform even as right-wing figures continue to accuse the platform of being biased against conservative voices. 

Reuters reported that Trump has just over 300 followers on Truth Social so far. Trump had more than 88 million Twitter followers before he was permanently banned from the platform and other major social media networks.

Trump said he created Truth Social in order to push back against the “tyranny of Big Tech.”