Flopped blog exposes limits of Trump's media power
04 June 2021
Data: NewsWhip; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios
The blog from former President Trump — originally touted as his own social media 'platform' — generated engagement roughly on par with the top posts from mid-market local newspapers, according to exclusive data from NewsWhip.
Why it matters: Even with his considerable base of support, Trump was unable to defy the laws of social media physics by getting political followers to change their habits.
- The move to shut down the page this week acknowledged the flawed assumption that if you build it, they will come.
The big picture: The numbers, a far cry from the audience Trump commanded with his Twitter and Facebook accounts, show the limits of Trump's power without access to the biggest platforms.
- Trump's attention monopoly has steadily waned since late January, as he lost both the power of his office and of his social media megaphones.
Catch up quick: Leading up to the launch of 'From the Desk of Donald J. Trump', Trump's allies teased an upcoming "platform."
- When it arrived on May 4, it was promoted with a dramatic video saying, "In a time of silence and lies, a beacon of freedom arises." Some were surprised to see that it was a section of his website populated by tweet-like entries.
- Trump's team hoped that social share buttons would provide an avenue for his comments to enter into the bloodstream of major platforms via his supporters, which couldn't be done through his previous communications strategy — tweet-like press releases.
- After 29 days, the blog was shut down on Wednesday. The Washington Post reported that Trump ordered the shutdown after learning of the lousy readership.
What they're saying: Following reports about the site's lowly traffic, Trump called the blog a "very basic site," while aide Jason Miller said "it was just auxiliary to the broader efforts we have and are working on."
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.