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Former first lady Melania Trump will make Parler “Her Social Media Home,” the company claimed Wednesday — despite the fact that her husband’s rival platform TRUTH Social is expected to launch next month.
Parler said in a press release posted on Substack that the former first lady “engaged Parler in a special arrangement for her social media communication.”
Melania Trump previously used Parler to host her NFT artwork sales.
“As part of the synergistic relationship, Mrs. Trump will share exclusive communications on Parler,” the company said.
A statement attributed to the former first lady said, “I am excited and inspired by free speech platforms that give direct communication to people worldwide. Parler has been on the forefront of utilizing Web3 technology and empowers its users to foster productive discourse.”
Parler is expected to compete directly with former President Donald Trump’s TRUTH Social network if it launches as planned next month.
It’s unclear what Melania Trump’s decision means for TRUTH, which former House intelligence committee chairman Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) recently resigned from Congress to help run.
TRUTH was supposed to launch Feb. 21, but Nunes, now CEO of Trump Media and Technology Group, said last week that the platform’s debut would be delayed until March.
“It’s very difficult,” Nunes told Newsmax. “We cannot use any of the Big Tech companies. We’ve seen what has happened to other small startup companies. And when Amazon decides they don’t like them, they cut them off.”
Nunes told Fox Business in January that TRUTH is working with San Francisco startup Hive for automated content moderation to make the new Trump platform a “very family friendly” site.
TRUTH said in December that it “entered into a wide-ranging technology and cloud services agreement” with the company Rumble, including to host the social network’s cloud content and to provide video and live-streaming services.
“As part of our mission, TMTG continues to align with service providers who do not discriminate against political ideology,” the ex-president said Dec. 14. “Therefore, I have selected the Rumble Cloud to serve as a critical backbone for TMTG infrastructure. TMTG has already launched Truth Social on the Rumble Cloud for invited guests only, and the initial Beta launch has been excellent. America is ready for TRUTH Social, and the end to cancel culture.”
Parler was the first major platform to advertise itself to conservative users purged from mainstream social media platforms. It temporarily went offline in January 2021 when Amazon Web Services backed out of hosting the site.
A different upstart social network, GETTR, is run by former Trump spokesman Jason Miller, who unsuccessfully sought to woo the former president to join.
Trump was permanently banned by Twitter and indefinitely suspended by Facebook after the 2021 Capitol riot that disrupted certification of President Biden’s victory in the Electoral College.
If Trump launches his own social network or joins either Parler or GETTR, the move would instantly draw throngs of grassroots supporters and command the attention of national media and political operatives.
A Morning Consult/Politico poll in October found that 61 percent of Republicans and 63 percent of Trump voters plan to use TRUTH Social either “a lot” or “some” of the time.
Trump drove massive social media traffic during his presidency by firing staff, making policy pivots and pummeling foes on Twitter — frequently creating and steering the international news cycle via tweet. The ex-president is teasing a potential 2024 rematch against Biden.
Trump’s office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
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