Trump?s social media app to launch in February, App Store listing says

Donald Trump's new media venture plans to launch its social media app Truth Social on 21 February, according to an Apple Inc App Store listing.

Truth Social, the Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) alternative to Twitter, is available for pre-order before going live on the US Presidents' Day holiday.

Similar to Twitter, the app offers features to follow other people and trending topics, according to demo photos.

The app's launch would come 13 months after Meta Platforms Inc's Facebook and Twitter banned the former US president for encouraging his supporters to participate in the 6 January attack on the US Capitol based on unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

Marking the one-year anniversary of the attack, Joe Biden said on Thursday that his predecessor's false claims could unravel the rule of law and subvert future elections.

TMTG and Apple did not respond to requests for comment, but a source familiar with the matter confirmed that 21 February is the planned launch date of the app.

The launch is expected to be the first of three stages in TMTG's development. The second would be a subscription video-on-demand service called TMTG+ with entertainment, news and podcasts, according to the company website. A November investor presentation indicated that TMTG also wants to launch a podcast network.

TMTG is currently valued at $4.3bn based on the stock price of Digital World Acquisition Corp. TMTG agreed in October to merge with the blank-check firm at a valuation of $875m.

Trump supporters and retail investors have snapped up Digital World's stock, betting that Trump's popularity with his Republican political base will translate into commercial runaway success.

The blank-check acquisition deal faces regulatory risk. The Democratic US senator Elizabeth Warren asked the Securities and Exchange Commission chairman, Gary Gensler, last month to investigate the planned merger for potential violations of securities laws around disclosure. The SEC has declined to comment on whether it plans any action.

TMTG last month raised an additional $1bn from private investors.