Former First Lady Melania Trump is set to make Parler her new “social media home,” raising questions on whether she’ll join her husband’s yet-to-be-launched platform Truth Social.
Parler, a social media service popular among right-wing users, announced on Wednesday that Melania had entered into a “special arrangement” that would see her share “exclusive communications” on the platform.
In a statement on the partnership, Melania praised Parler for empowering its users “to foster productive discourse.”
“I am excited and inspired by free speech platforms that give direct communication to people worldwide,” Melania said. “Parler has been on the forefront of utilizing Web3 technology and empowers its users to foster productive discourse.”
Prior to the announcement, Parler had already been aiding Melania by powering her nonfungible token (NFT) platform at MelaniaTrump.com.
Yet Melania’s arrangement comes less than two weeks before former President Donald Trump is set to launch Truth Social. Following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Trump was suspended from numerous platforms including Twitter and Facebook. In response, the former president revealed that he would launch a social media platform of his own.
The Daily Dot reached out to Parler to inquire whether Melania’s partnership would have any influence on her joining Truth Social but did not receive a reply. Melania also currently has profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Melania’s arrangement with Parler follows the platform’s relaunch last year after it was dropped by its web host in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Users on the platform had boasted of their involvement in the riot, as revealed by a hacker who scraped all the website’s data in the wake of the failed insurrection.
But it isn’t just Parler that has had issues with its digital security. Truth Social also faced embarrassment after the website for its unpublicized beta version was discovered by a hacker online, which allowed internet trolls and journalists to register accounts as everyone from Trump himself to former Vice President Mike Pence.