India's Modi Joins Trump’s Truth Social, Becomes One of Few World Leaders on the Platform

KOCHI – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has joined Truth Social, the social media platform owned by U.S. President Donald Trump, becoming one of the few global leaders to do so.

In his first post on Monday, Modi shared a photograph with Trump from his 2019 visit to Houston, Texas, expressing his delight in joining the platform.

Modi's Presence on Truth Social

As of 03:30 GMT, Modi had amassed 21,500 followers and was following only two accounts—Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance.

Trump, in response, shared a link to an interview Modi had conducted with podcaster Lex Fridman, where the Indian leader spoke about various topics, including:

• His personal journey
• The 2002 Gujarat riots
• India’s evolving relationship with China

Truth Social: Trump's Social Media Venture

Truth Social, launched by Trump in February 2022, was created after he was temporarily banned from Twitter (now X) and Facebook, following allegations of inciting violence after losing the 2020 U.S. presidential election to Joe Biden.

The platform operates similarly to X, allowing users to:

• Post "truths" (equivalent to tweets)
• Share "retruths" (similar to retweets)
• Send direct messages
• Engage with sponsored ads, referred to as "sponsored truths"

Truth Social is owned by Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), which went public in March 2024. Trump retains a 57% stake in the company. Other notable shareholders include:

• ARC Global Investments, a Kuwait-based investment firm
• Former contestants from The Apprentice, though some of these holdings are under legal dispute

Platform’s Performance and Challenges

Despite Trump’s personal following of 9.28 million users on Truth Social, this is significantly lower than his 87 million followers on X.

According to Bloomberg data, Truth Social’s total user base is 400 times smaller than X, highlighting its struggle to compete with mainstream social media giants.

Financially, TMTG has faced challenges:

• $400 million in losses in 2024
• $3.6 million in revenue
• A market valuation of $4.45 billion

As Modi’s presence on the platform draws global attention, it remains to be seen whether Truth Social can expand its influence beyond its current user base.