Donald Trump's new social media platform, Truth Social, has gone live in the Apple App Store, with several right-wing figures already sharing their accounts.
It was previously reported that the launch date would coincide with President's Day on Monday, February 21, although a full rollout may not happen until March.
As of Monday morning, several high-profile personalities were sharing on Twitter that they had set up their Truth Social account, with many others joining in who didn't pre-order the app from the Apple Store. did.
Those who have already shared their accounts include Congressman Madison Cawthorne of Republican North Carolina, Trump-backed Arizona gubernatorial GOP candidate Kari Lake, far-right Arizona Senator Wendy Rogers, Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and Trump's students. Founder Ryan Fournier.
As Fox News noted, other prominent conservatives who have joined the "free speech" social network include Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, Fox News' Sean Hannity and Dan Bongino.
However, the launch did not go without any hitches. Many people have been placed in long queues, sometimes tens of thousands, standing ahead of them when trying to create an account. Others have reported seeing error messages once their profile has been set up.
Of course, the one top GOP person who set up an account on Truth Social is Trump himself. The former president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., previously shared a screenshot on Twitter, which is believed to be his father's first post on Truth Social before it launched on the Apple Store.
"Get ready! Your favorite president will see you soon!" Read Trump's post.
The screen shot also confirmed previous reports that Truth Social, created by Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG), is similar to Twitter's interface. Trump was banned from the social media site for fear that he would use it to incite more violence to his followers in the wake of the January 6 attacks.
I am speaking Truth on Truth Social. Come find me fellow patriots!!! pic.twitter.com/8a1E9egN3n
— Wendy Rogers (@WendyRogersAZ) February 21, 2022
Proud to be on TRUTH Social! #TruthSocial pic.twitter.com/NCf2HBXkmf
— Madison Cawthorn (@CawthornforNC) February 20, 2022
I’m on Truth Social!https://t.co/Y7eHSIA62v#GoodByeTwitter
— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) February 21, 2022
Speaking ahead of the Apple App Store rollout, former California Congressman Devin Nunes, who resigned to become TMTG's chief executive officer in January, said that he expects TruthSocial to be adopted by those who "remain away from social media". boot" is done. The last few years.
Nunes told Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures, "It's really up to me to see people who are on stage who have their voices canceled—and that's our main goal to give people their voices back."
Social media experts have previously questioned whether Truth Social, yet another right-wing "free speech" app similar to Gab, Getr and Parlor, would prove successful if only conservatives used it.
"There's a whole social network for beer enthusiasts where they can come together and post beer reviews," Christina Lerman, a research professor of computer science at the University of Southern California's Institute for Informatics, told TIME.
"It's great that a community exists where like-minded people can meet each other. But that doesn't mean that kind of niche community will be attractive to the mainstream."
TMTG has been contacted for comment.