Prime Minister Narendra Modi has officially joined Truth Social, the U.S.-based social media platform whose parent company is majority-owned by former U.S. President Donald Trump. Mr. Modi’s first post on the platform featured an image of himself with Mr. Trump at the Howdy, Modi! rally held in Houston, Texas, in September 2019. Expressing his excitement, Mr. Modi wrote, “Delighted to be on the platform. Looking forward to interacting with all the passionate voices here and engaging in meaningful conversations in the times to come.”
In his second post, Mr. Modi responded to a video shared by Mr. Trump, which showcased the Prime Minister’s three-hour discussion with podcaster Lex Fridman. Thanking the former U.S. President, Mr. Modi wrote, “Thank you, my friend, President Trump. I’ve covered a wide range of topics, including my life journey, India’s civilizational outlook, global issues, and more.”
Truth Social was launched by Mr. Trump following his ban from Twitter (now X) in the aftermath of the January 2021 U.S. Capitol riots. Although Elon Musk has since reinstated Mr. Trump’s X account, the former President remains most active on Truth Social, posting only occasionally on X. A spokesperson from Trump Media & Technology Group Corp., which owns Truth Social, stated, “Truth Social is delighted to welcome Prime Minister Modi and expect he’ll connect with a new, vibrant audience on our platform.”
This is not the first instance of Mr. Modi joining a social media platform as part of his global outreach. In 2015, he joined Weibo, China’s equivalent of X, where he remained active for over five years before exiting in 2020 following India-China border tensions.
It remains uncertain whether Truth Social has a significant Indian user base. Reports from January 2024 estimated around six million monthly page visits, with the platform generating approximately $3.6 million in revenue. Additionally, Truth Social has yet to comply with India’s IT Rules, 2021, which mandate grievance redressal mechanisms for users in the country.
With Mr. Modi’s entry into Truth Social, it will be interesting to see how his presence impacts the platform’s reach, particularly in India, and whether more Indian users will join in the coming months.