In brief
Modi's debut on Trump's platform raises questions about global leadership on social media amid ongoing controversies.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made a notable entrance into Truth Social, the social media platform founded by former US President Donald Trump. In his inaugural post on Monday, Modi shared a significant 2019 image alongside Trump from their meeting in Houston, Texas, expressing his enthusiasm about joining the platform. Truth Social was created by Trump in February 2022 following his electoral loss to Joe Biden and subsequent bans from major social media sites due to accusations of inciting violence. As of now, Modi boasts around 21,500 followers on the platform, where he has chosen to follow both Trump and US Vice President JD Vance. Trump has also promoted a link to Modi’s recent interview with podcaster Lex Fridman, in which the Indian leader discussed a variety of topics, including his personal experiences, the 2002 Gujarat riots, and India’s ties with China. The functionalities of Truth Social largely mirror those of X (formerly Twitter), with users engaging by posting 'truths' or 'retruths' and sending direct messages; advertisements are labelled as 'sponsored truths.' Truth Social is operated by Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), which Trump went public with in March 2024, retaining about a 57% ownership stake. Other stakeholders include Kuwaiti investment firm ARC Global Investments and former competitors from Trump's reality show, The Apprentice, though their holdings are currently entangled in legal disputes. Trump has amassed 9.28 million followers on Truth Social, a stark contrast to the 87 million he has on X. Bloomberg's data indicates that Truth Social’s user engagement is significantly lagging, falling behind X by a staggering 400 times. TMTG recently reported a hefty loss of $400 million (£308 million) for 2024, with revenue standing at just $3.6 million and a market valuation of $4.45 billion.
