Trump says his goal in launching the Trump Media & Technology Group and its “TRUTH Social'' app is to create a rival to the Big Tech companies that have shut him out and denied him the megaphone that was paramount to his national rise. “We live in a world where the Taliban has a huge presence on Twitter, yet your favorite American President has been silenced,'' he said in a statement. “This is unacceptable.” In a release, the new venture announced it had been created through a merger with Digital World Acquisition Corp. and said it seeks to become a publicly listed company. Trump has spoken about launching his own social media site ever since he was barred from Twitter and Facebook. An earlier effort to launch a blog on his existing website was abandoned after the page drew dismal views. 

In addition to the app, which is expected to soft-launch next month, with a nationwide rollout early next year, the company says it is planning a video-on-demand service that will feature entertainment programming, news and podcasts.