Former President Trump launches TRUTH Social to fight back against the ‘Big Tech’; shares of the new social media SPAC company soar 140% on the news

In early January, we wrote about former President Trump after he announced he was looking at the possibilities of building his social own platform following his suspension from Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Then in March, President Donald Trump announced he was launching his own social media platform. But the platform did not take off as planned.

Finally, President Trump announced yesterday the launch of a new social network named TRUTH Social. A beta version will be available to invited guests in November. A nationwide rollout is expected in the first quarter of 2022., according to a press release.

“TRUTH Social is America’s “Big Tent” social media platform that encourages an open, free, and honest global conversation without discriminating against political ideology.”

Formed as a SPAC merger of Digital World Acquisition Corp. and Trump Media & Technology Group,  the new Truth Social platform says its mission is to “create a rival to the liberal media consortium and fight back against the ‘Big Tech’ companies of Silicon Valley.”

Immediately after the news, shares of Miami-based Digital World surged 140% to $23.53 on the Nasdaq. SPACs such as Digital World use the money raised through an initial public offering to take a private company public. The statement announcing the deal said the company could be worth up to $1.7 billion.

Click on the image to join the waiting list

Below are the details of the merger via the press release:

Digital World Acquisition Corp. and Trump Media & Technology Group (NASDAQ: DWAC) “have entered into a definitive merger agreement, providing for a business combination that will result in Trump Media & Technology Group becoming a publicly listed company, subject to regulatory and stockholder approval.”

The transaction values Trump Media & Technology Group at an initial enterprise value of $875 Million, with a potential additional earnout of $825 Million in additional shares (at the valuation they are granted) for a cumulative valuation of up to $1.7 Billion depending on the performance of the stock price post-business combination. Trump Media & Technology Group’s growth plans initially will be funded by DWAC’s cash in trust of $293 Million (assuming no redemptions).

Trump Media & Technology Group’s mission is to create a rival to the liberal media consortium and fight back against the “Big Tech” companies of Silicon Valley, which have used their unilateral power to silence opposing voices in America.

Trump Media & Technology Group (“TMTG”) will soon be launching a social network, named “TRUTH Social.” TRUTH Social is now available for Pre-Order in the Apple App store. TRUTH Social plans to begin its Beta Launch for invited guests in November 2021. A nationwide rollout is expected in the first quarter of 2022. Those who are interested in joining TRUTH Social may now visit www.truthsocial.com to sign up for the invite list.

President Donald J. Trump, the Chairman of TMTG, stated, “I created TRUTH Social and TMTG to stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech. We live in a world where the Taliban has a huge presence on Twitter, yet your favorite American President has been silenced. This is unacceptable. I am excited to send out my first TRUTH on TRUTH Social very soon. TMTG was founded with a mission to give a voice to all. I’m excited to soon begin sharing my thoughts on TRUTH Social and to fight back against Big Tech. Everyone asks me why doesn’t someone stand up to Big Tech? Well, we will be soon!”

Patrick F. Orlando, Chairman/CEO of DWAC, stated, “Digital World was formed to create public shareholder value and we believe that TMTG is one of the most promising business combination partners to fulfill that purpose. DWAC currently has $293 Million in trust, assuming minimal redemptions, which can fuel TMTG’s scale up, including to provide world class leading technology services to build strong and secure social networks and diverse media offerings. Given the total addressable market and President Trump’s large following, we believe the TMTG opportunity has the potential to create significant shareholder value.”

Additionally, TMTG intends to launch a subscription video on demand service (TMTG+). TMTG+ will feature ‘non-woke’ entertainment programming, news, podcasts, and more. TMTG has named Scott St. John as the leader of TMTG+ Corporate Operations. Scott St. John is the Executive Producer of “Deal or No Deal’ and “America’s Got Talent” and has produced over 1,000 hours of Network and Cable TV.