OPINION:
Freshness is nice. Familiarity is, too, but the capture of social media by so-called “progressives” has subjected Americans to a torrent of outlandish images and words informing them that the arc of history demands they abandon the way of life they hold dear. Now returns Donald Trump to the public eye with his signature appeal to not only hold fast but push back. The competition among media outlets for attention is already stiff, but if Mr. Trump is determined to mount a counterbalance to the lethal left, he is welcome back to the fray.
Last week, the former president announced his start-up of the Trump Media & Technology Group, which includes Truth Social, a media network meant for his followers and other freethinkers who reject the ideological guardrails of trendy media bosses. Truth Media is expected to debut in November with the launch of an app, he said, and he promised to add woke-free entertainment content later.
“I created Truth Social and TMTG to stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech,” said Mr. Trump in a statement. “We live in a world where the Taliban has a huge presence on Twitter, yet your favorite American president has been silenced. This is unacceptable. I am excited to send out my first Truth on Truth Social very soon.”
Indeed, the former president was unceremoniously banned from Twitter – for life — following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, while Afghan terror-mongers are free to tweet their depredations to a global audience. Facebook suspended him for two years and YouTube indefinitely. It doesn’t take a dipstick to gauge that media mavens like Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey are in the tank for the content which fueled the anti-American left’s campaign to expel Mr. Trump from power.
The creeping influence of various cyber-platforms has hooked Americans on an addictive blend of gossip and pseudo-news that most loathe, but few can refuse. An NBC poll earlier this year found 66 percent of respondents said they check their social media accounts at least once a day. Glaringly, 64 percent admitted that daily use of social media has more ill effects upon society than good. Clearly, the digital atmosphere of envy and spite is poisonous to social well-being.
Will Truth Social prove a healthier choice? Predictions are risky, but there seems to be a market for a Trump brand of countervailing political perspective: Digital World Acquisition Corp., a company that is taking his digital platform public, saw its stock price enjoy an 800-plus percent spike, at least temporarily, during post-announcement trading.
It is long past time to return to reliance on media platforms committed to balanced news – like The Washington Times. If Donald Trump wishes to challenge the crowded field of left-loving social media, there is always room on the right for patriots whose hearts are tattooed with the right, white and blue.
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