Donald Trump has struggled to engage with his supporters online after being banned from major social networking platforms like Twitter and Facebook in the aftermath of the January 6th insurrection.
"Donald Trump, sidelined by Twitter Inc. and Facebook Inc., has been talking with numerous platforms as he seeks a new online megaphone. Jeff Brain, the chief executive of CloutHub, a fledgling social media network that has become popular with conservatives, thinks his company fits the bill," The Wall Street Journalreported. "He took a trip to Mar-a-Lago last month and chatted with the former president, and has been talking to Mr. Trump's advisers as they consider what his new social-media home should be. 'We believe that of all the platforms that have come out, we are the right platform for the president,' Mr. Brain said in an interview."
"CloutHub is one of several companies the Trump camp is considering, people familiar with the discussions say. Another is FreeSpace, a Facebook alternative. Its parent company, Skylab Apps Inc., promises customers—which range from CBD sellers to Promise Keepers, an evangelical Christian group—autonomous social-media networks that can't easily be blocked or shut down," the newspaper noted.
Trump reportedly wants to get paid -- and get the money up front.
"The former president is interested in being paid in exchange for the followers he would presumably bring to the new social networks, people familiar with the situation said. Mr. Trump had nearly 89 million Twitter followers. 'He's not that interested in equity. He wants cash money up front, like a license fee,' said one person familiar with the process," the newspaper noted. "Mr. Trump and his team have held more than two dozen meetings on potential social-media plans, according to people familiar with the discussions. One of Mr. Trump's primary objectives is to find what he has called an 'indestructible platform' that can't easily be taken down, according to people with the former president's remarks on the topic."
Read the full report.