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Trump launched his own social media app Truth Social in February.
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The company that built the app was struggling to hire technical staff, sources told Reuters.
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The recruitment pool was reduced by a reported corporate policy that favored right-wing candidates.
The company behind Donald Trump’s social media app Truth Social had, according to a Reuters report.
Truth Social launched on the App Store in February, and Trump has touted the app as his alternative to Big Tech, which he claims censors right-wing views.
The launch of the app was accompanied by technical difficulties and many users were placed on a long waiting list when they tried to sign up.
Three sources familiar with Trump Media and Technology Group’s operations told Reuters that the company was avoiding left-wing employees — a requirement that significantly limited the choice of tech candidates.
A source told Reuters that in at least one instance, recruiters for the company searched a potential candidate’s social media to evaluate their politics.
Three people familiar with TMTG’s recruiting efforts also told Reuters that tech workers with moderate and left-wing political views were often unwilling to work for the company.
Three sources told Reuters that the company also struggled to hire employees, regardless of their politics.
One person approached by TMTG told Reuters that not only did they object to Trump’s politics, but they were also deterred by his previous failed business ventures.
Digital World Acquisition Corp, a SPAC currently trying to acquire TMTG, mentioned Trump’s previous failed businesses including the Trump Taj Mahal, Trump University and Trump Vodka, as a risk factor for investors.
Reuters reported that even employees who did accept jobs at TMTG have taken steps to hide that fact. After Reuters checked the bios of the company’s employees on social media, it found that some had failed to list their jobs at TMTG.
A source told Reuters that this was because some staffers fear that an affiliation with the company would hurt their future career prospects.
A regulatory filing by Digital World said that as of March 31, 2022, TMTG had about 40 employees.
Reuters contacted TMTG for comment on the report and received a statement from Shannon Devine, managing partner at investor relations firm MZ Group.
Devine said the Reuters report contained “false and defamatory statements” and said it contains “misleading claims and omits material facts”.
Devine did not specify which parts of the reports were false and did not respond to a follow-up request for comment, Reuters said.
TMTG did not immediately respond when Insider reached out for comment outside of normal US business hours.
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