Trump, Twitter, and Truth Social: how Trump used both mainstream and alt-tech social media to drive news media attention

Abstract

Former President Donald Trump is well-known for dominating the attention-driven hybrid media system through his controversial tweets, which spurred social media user engagement and news media attention. The removal of Trump from Twitter/X raises questions about his continued ability to drive news attention through his alt-tech platform, Truth Social. Our analysis shows that the retweets and “retruths” Trump gained predicted related news attention across the political spectrum. However, our results also point to shifts in news attention, including diminished direct embedding of his “truths,” a lower proportion of stories on his Truth Social activity among all stories about him, and greater partisan media attention to his Truth Social activity in 2022, as compared to 2016. These findings advance our understanding of Trump’s social media based communicative power, changing journalistic practices, and the place of alt-tech in the media system.