Truth Social platform was not shut down. No truth to that viral claim | Fact check

Joedy McCreary, USA TODAY
·2 min read

The claim: Truth Social was shut down on May 3

A May 3 Threads post (direct link, archive link) claims former President Donald Trump's social media platform suddenly and permanently went dark.

“Breaking news, truth social is shut down, no longer operatable. God i hope so! (sic),” the post’s caption reads.

It was liked more than 500 times in four days.

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Our rating: False

A spokesperson for Truth Social's parent company said the claim is false. As of May 7, the platform was functioning normally.

Trump, other users continue to post on Truth Social

Trump founded Trump Media & Technology Group in 2021 after other popular social media sites banned him following the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol. The company launched its flagship property, Truth Social, in February 2022.

But the claim in the Threads post that it “shut down” is false, Shannon Devine, a spokesperson for Trump Media, told USA TODAY. As of May 7, Truth Social was operating as it normally would, with users – including Trump – continuing to share posts on the platform.

Fact check: False claim that Truth Social will charge users $4.99 per week

The fabricated claim in the Threads post came after the Securities and Exchange Commission filed charges alleging "massive fraud" on May 3 against Trump Media's former auditing firm, Colorado-based BF Borgers, and its owner, Benjamin Borgers.

The charges alleged "deliberate and systematic" failures to comply with oversight board standards in audits and reviews incorporated in more than 1,500 SEC filings, as well as fabricating audit documentation, the federal agency said. Without admitting to or denying the charges, the firm and owner agreed to pay a total of $14 million in penalties and accepted a permanent suspension from practicing as accountants before the SEC.

Trump Media – which fired the firm that day – was not accused of any wrongdoing and was not mentioned in the SEC’s charges, which had no effect on the functionality of the Truth Social platform.

USA TODAY reached out to the Threads user who shared the post but did not immediately receive a response.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: False claim Truth Social platform was shut down | Fact check

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