According to reports in the Washington Post, former president Donald Trump asked Elon Musk if he would be open to buying his Truth Social network.

A conversation is said to have taken place last summer, months after the Tesla and SpaceX billionaire had closed a $44 billion deal for the Twitter social media platform, which he went on to rename ‘X,’ as part of an ongoing drive to deliver “an everything app.”

The official website describes Truth Social as “America’s Big Tent’ social media platform that encourages an open, free, and honest global conversation without discriminating based on political ideology.

What was discussed between Trump and Musk?

Two sources indicated dialogue did take place between the prominent figures, but not to the extent that a deal was likely or even if there was any genuine interest from Musk. They are also said to have discussed politics and business.

With a clear line of communication established, it is an intriguing situation — with the most recent conversation said to have taken place earlier this month. Key Republican donors were also present at the Palm Beach, Florida sitting. Still, Musk is on record as saying that he is “not donating money to either candidate for US President.”

When quizzed on his links to Truth Social and the sojourn to Florida, Musk only stated that he had “never been to Mar-a-Lago,” Trump’s estate and residence in Palm Beach.

Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of the social media site, did not respond to the claims but instead rebuked the Washington Post, the source of the inquiry. Shannon Devine, the Trump Media spokeswoman, stated, “We heard Trump and Musk were actually discussing buying the Washington Post, but they decided it had no value.” 

Interestingly, Trump has not actively posted on X since his account was reinstated. One reason is that he wants to create and keep financial value for his Truth Social site, which he is said to diligently monitor. The presidential candidate for the upcoming election is keen to push and promote the network, telling advisers that he wants to break the news on the platform as a means to bring in more users.

As things stand, it remains an uphill task for Truth Social to secure a breakthrough in the crowded social media space.

Image credit: Ideogram

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