Former President Donald J. Trump only recently launched a blog meant to give his fans and supporters a way to hear from him, without worry of being censored under Big Tech. The blog, however, was shut down very recently. What could be the reason behind it?
President Trump was known for making many announcements and sharing his opinions candidly on social media platforms, particularly Twitter. Sadly, following the chaos that erupted at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, the Head of State was banned from making any posts online, on the unproven allegation that he "incited" violence.
Those who opposed the then-President accused him of inciting violence, even going as far as trying to impeach him for what he never did. CBN News, in an article, took a look back at the then-President's posts prior to being censored on social media, and easily revealed that the "America First" leader actually called for peace and rejected the violence that ensued.
Here's a short timeline of the events that happened on Jan. 6 and the Republican President's comments before Big Tech shut down his social media accounts, as per USA Today:
6 a.m. - Trump supporters prepare for the "Save America" rally near the Ellipse at the White House.
11 a.m. - The "Save America" rally begins with President Trump's sons Eric and Donald Jr. speaking, followed by former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani. President Trump spoke at about 11:50 a.m., and continued speaking for well over an hour.
1 p.m. - "Lawmakers gather for a joint session in the House of Representatives chamber to count Electoral College votes," USA Today noted.
1:10 p.m. - President Trump wasn't finished with his speech yet. In it, he called for his supporters to walk to the Capitol building "to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard." Towards the end, he said,
"We fight like h***. And if you don't fight like h***, you're not going to have a country anymore ... So we're going to, we're going to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue. I love Pennsylvania Avenue. And we're going to the Capitol, and we're going to try and give."
At the same time, rioters were already "grappling with police on the Capitol steps," USA Today said. It's worth noting that President Trump and his supporters were still at the Ellipse, more than four kilometers away from the U.S. Capitol, when the commotion started.
2:11 p.m. - Rioters break through police lines on the west side of the Capitol.
2:38 p.m. - President Trump tweets, "Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!"
3:13 p.m. - President Trump makes another tweet after news of shots being fired and more chaos ensued. "I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence!" he tweeted. "Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order - respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!"
4:17 p.m. - President Trump posts a video addressing his supporters, telling them to "go home now' because "We have to have peace ... law and order." He continued, "go home in peace."
It was clear from these messages that he did not support the violence there. Nevertheless, Facebook, Twitter and other online media sites banned him and prevented him, the U.S. Commander-in-Chief at the time, from expressing his thoughts to Americans and netizens.
President Trump kept looking for ways to communicate with Americans and supporters using various means such as Telegram. Eventually, he launched a blog, "From the Desk of Donald J. Trump," which allowed him to post messages longer than what he could via Twitter.
Less than a month after its launch, however, it was shut down. Reports say it was because it didn't gain much traction. Trump senior aide Jason Miller, however, told CNBC that while the blog "will not be returning," it was merely a small part of the group's plans, something of a placeholder.
"It was just auxiliary to the broader efforts we have and are working on," Miller said.
Apparently, the decision to close the blog wasn't an act of surrender or defeat. Rather, per Miller's response to former Nevada GOP Chair Amy Tarkanian's question, it is in reality a necessary step towards something better.
"Perhaps this is a precursor to him joining another social media platform?" Tarkanian asked.
"Yes, actually, it is. Stay tuned!" Miller responded.
Yes, actually, it is. Stay tuned! https://t.co/USKGvVXe2f
"” Jason Miller (@JasonMillerinDC) June 2, 2021
Now, Facebook has finally announced that it will ban former President Trump for two years, until 2023. Mr. Trump called out the Big Tech company's abuse, saying
"Facebook's ruling is an insult to the record-setting 75M people, plus many others, who voted for us in the 2020 rigged Presidential Election. They shouldn't be allowed to get away with this censoring and silencing, and ultimately, we will win. Our Country can't take this abuse anymore!"
Nevertheless, it appears that whether Facebook reinstates his account or not, the former President already has his plans to reach out to his supporters in place.
