Trump resigns from 'Truth Social' fearing federal probes: reports

While local US media said the former US president has left the company's board, the group dismissed those reports as 'fake news' - a term notoriously used by Trump during his stint at the White House.

World

2 min read

The New Arab Staff

10 July, 2022

Despite ongoing federal investigations, the former US president continues to hit the campaign trail, endorsing mid-term candidates [Getty]

Former US president Donald Trump stepped back from his position as director of “Truth Social” just weeks before authorities summoned company officials as part of a federal investigation, according to local US media.

Trump Media and Technology Group, which set up right-wing social media platform “Truth Social”, finally confirmed that he no longer leads the company in an internal document obtained by the Sarasota Herald Tribune this week.

The Trump Media and Technology group is currently facing probes from New York’s financial regulators over its use of a shell company, Digital World, to go public.

Trump’s removal from the post of director may be an attempt to protect the Republican heavyweight from being forced to appear as part of a grand jury investigation into the company.

“Donald Trump is still a member of the management board of Trump Media and Technology Group”, wrote the embattled corporation on its official account on Thursday, without confirming whether he holds the post of director.

The former US president, who faces growing challenges to his monopoly over the Republican party as his role in the January 6 capitol hill riots becomes clearer, remains a belligerent figure in the lead up to mid-term elections, endorsing far-right candidates across the country.

“Truth social” was launched by the group as an alternative to Twitter after Trump’s account was blocked for transgressing Twitter’s code of conduct around incitement to violence.

Trump’s heir apparent, Donald Trump Junior, as well as former board members Wes Moss and Kashyap Patel, have also left the board in recent days, fearing federal investigation.

However, “Truth Social” have published a letter denying Trump’s withdrawal from the company’s management board, calling reports “fake news”.

At the end of June, the group confirmed it had received requests for documents, stating that all directors of the company had been called to testify before a grand jury, as an overture to a criminal trial.