In a situation that should surprise absolutely no one, Truth Social users are proving to be easy marks for shady online ads, and they’re reportedly pleading with Donald Trump to do something about it. Thanks in no small parts to those users, who are extremely right wing and dwindling by the day, Truth Social isn’t exactly a desirable target for brands.
The predicament has forced the platform to be overrun with questionable ads for “alternative medicine, diet pills, gun accessories and Trump-themed trinkets.” Case in point: One ad boasted a gold $1,000 bill that Trump was supposedly giving to his supporters free. It was not free or made of gold.
Via The New York Times:
Devin Nunes, the chief executive of Trump Media, said in an announcement last year that the company’s ad strategy would help it “displace the Big Tech platforms” as a major way to reach Americans. But ad experts say the wariness from prominent brands on far-right social networks, which have positioned themselves as free-speech alternatives to Silicon Valley giants like Meta and Google, is driven by the kinds of conspiracy theories and hyperpartisan politics often found on the sites. In addition, they say, Truth Social has a relatively small user base and many older users, who are less desirable for the brands.
The situation has reached a boiling point as the few remaining users on Truth Social have reportedly turned on Trump. One user even hopped into the former president’s replies to plead for his help.
“Can you not vet the ads on Truth?” the frustrated user wrote. “I’ve been scammed more than once.”
However, thanks to the demographics of Truth Social and it’s less than helpful tracking system, the ad problem is probably not improving anytime soon or at all. There are also reports that Trump could leave the platform once his contract his up, but Devin Nunes has denied that’s the case. For whatever that’s worth.
(Via The New York Times)