Trump Takes On Social Media App For Impersonating Him

Written By BlabberBuzz | Friday, 15 October 2021 05:15 AM
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Former President Donald Trump has reportedly lashed at a social media company with a cease-and-desist letter for deceiving its users into believing he is using its platform.

Social media app 2nd1st, which uses Trump's likeness to suggest he's using its platform to post, seems to have a conservative user base and calls itself a space for "uncensored news and chat."

"Specifically, it appears the 2nd1st application profile includes images implying President Donald J. Trump uses or otherwise endorses the application, which he does not," Trump's attorney Nathan D. Groth wrote in the cease-and-desist letter obtained by the New York Post. "2nd1st's unauthorized use of President Donald J. Trump's name, image, and likeness is likely to lead individuals to believe that President Trump has authorized, sponsored, or approved such an application which he does not."

The app also highlights profiles for prominent Republicans, such as Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, and Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee. It's not obvious if the profiles are fake or real.

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When users download the 2nd1st app on the Apple app store, they are shown videos of Trump demonstrations and pushed to buy subscriptions on the platform for $4.99 per week that automatically renew.

Trump, who has been forbidden from most social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, has not joined any other new online platforms so far. Instead, he primarily pushes his message out to followers and the media through email blasts and surrogates, such as Donald Trump Jr. and others who are on social media.

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The Trump legal team sent the cease-and-desist letter to the platform on Sept. 30 and gave it two days to resolve the matter.

As of Tuesday, Trump's image remains on the app, and his legal team does not seem to have taken any additional measures yet.

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2nd1st appears to have been raking in thousands of dollars from conservative users and Trump supporters, the New York Post reported. However, it's unclear who is getting money because the website has no information about its owners and creators.

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The platform's information section on the Apple App Store says it is issued by a company called Howly, which the United States Patent and Trademark Office records show is based in Wichita, Kansas.

2nd1st has a 4.4-out-of-5-star rating on the App Store. But some people's reviews complain about automatically rebilling payments — and the cost for the service.

"I hate this app and want it gone forever," griped one reviewer.

"The owner just uses the current situation to try to make money… you are as bad as Pelosi!!!" raged another.

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