Trump shuts down his blog, frustrated by its low readership.
Former President Donald J. Trump shut down a blog he had started just a
month ago.
Former President Donald J. Trump shut down a blog he had started just a
month ago.Credit...Oliver Contreras for The New York Times
Annie Karni <https://www.nytimes.com/by/annie-karni>
ByAnnie Karni <https://www.nytimes.com/by/annie-karni>
* June 2, 2021,4:55 p.m. ET
Former President Donald J.Trump
<https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/02/us/trump-administration-phone-records-times-reporters.html>has
removed himself entirely from the internet.
Still banned from Twitter and Facebook, and struggling to find a way to
influence news coverage since leaving office, Mr. Trump decided on
Wednesday to shutter his do-it-yourself alternative, a blog he had
started just a month ago called “From the Desk of Donald J. Trump.”
Mr. Trump had become frustrated after hearing from friends that the site
was getting little traffic and making him look small and irrelevant,
according to a person familiar with his thinking.
The site, which cost a few thousand dollars to make and was put together
for Mr. Trump by a company run by his former campaign manager Brad
Parscale, was intended to be an online hub for supporters to see
statements issued by the former president and communicate with him.
“In a time of silence and lies, a beacon of freedom arises,” a video
introducing the platform last month advertised. “A place to speak freely
and safely. Straight from the desk of Donald J. Trump.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Continue reading the main story
<https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/02/us/politics/trump-shuts-down-blog.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage#after-story-ad-1>
Last month, afterThe Washington Post reported
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/05/21/trump-online-traffic-plunge/>that
the blog was attracting virtually no readership, Mr. Trump played down
its purpose, calling it a stopgap measure until he figured out what came
next.
“This is meant to be a temporary way of getting my thoughts and ideas
out to the public without the Fake News spin, but the website is not a
‘platform,’” he said in a statement. “It is merely a way of
communicating until I decide on what the future will be for the choice
or establishment of a platform.”
* Gift Subscriptions to The Times, Cooking or Games.
Starting at $25.
<https://www.nytimes.com/subscription/gift?campaignId=9UK8F&channel=ometered&areas=inlineUnit&campaign=coregift>
Some people in his small circle of advisers said on Wednesday that they
were frustrated by his decision to shut it down. Others tried to put a
more positive spin on it.
Jason Miller, an adviser, said on Twitter that the decision to suspend
the blog was a precursor to Mr. Trump’s joining another social media
platform.
“Yes, actually, it is,” he wrote when asked if the move meant that Mr.
Trump would be returning to social media in another form. “Stay tuned!”
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group.
View/Reply Online (#8948): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/8948
Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/83274136/21656
-=-=-
POSTING RULES & NOTES
#1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message.
#2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived.
#3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern.
#4 Do not exceed five posts a day.
-=-=-
Group Owner: [email protected]
Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/21656/1316126222/xyzzy
[[email protected]]
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
