It seems like everyone has to be a technology disruptor these days. And apparently Donald Trump Jr. is hopping on that bandwagon.
Donald Trump Jr. is trying to break into the news business with a news aggregator app called MxM News. He and a number of former Trump staffers are on the founding team.
Apparently the name Alternative Facts was already taken.
The founders claim the app will present views across the political spectrum, but they also said they were motivated to create it because they observed bias against conservative news sources on other news aggregator websites.
According to Axios, Trump Jr. envisions the platform to fill a gap in conservative-leaning news coverage delivered to mobile devices and to pick up where The Drudge Report had once held dominance in right-wing online news.
For now, the app will only aggregate news and its eight staffers will not create original content. Though, the founders did mention they may begin charging for premium content following the rollout of the application.
MxM stands for "minute by minute." The app was designed by Telegraph Creative whose CEO, Cliff Sims, is a former Trump staffer.
The tagline for the app is "mainstream news without mainstream bias." However, the founders have also said they expect early adoption to be highest amongst center-right audiences.
While early PR for MxM News has made a lot of claims about being truly "mainstream media" and presenting a wide array of viewpoints, folks on the internet are already skeptical.
Right I\u2019m sure there is noooo bias and you\u2019re honest lol— Lodi Doddi (@Lodi Doddi) 1647993297
A few people questioned the trustworthiness of news found on MxM, given the founders' history with facts.
Don Jr. is a trusted source, sure.— Daniel Marschman (@Daniel Marschman) 1648093781
Hmm..."media outlets, journalists or stories they can actually trust?" Why not when you can build from a four-year foundation of trust:https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/24/trumps-false-or-misleading-claims-total-30573-over-four-years/\u00a0\u2026— Brian C Huegel (@Brian C Huegel) 1647983581
One person thought maybe "news aggregate" was not the correct term.
He means news aggravation, not aggregationhttps://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1506613948023554055\u00a0\u2026— David Crowe (@David Crowe) 1648076436
This person chose not to roast Trump Jr.
Instead they pointed out just how alarming it is for a former politician's family to start a news site.
Well, it's apparently only available on iOS and no other platforms. But when demagogues start their own "news outlets" that's a very worrying since as it will be filled with pro-Trump propaganda.https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/23/donald-trump-jr-news-aggregation-mxm-news\u00a0\u2026— pogue (@pogue) 1648153519
Lke father like son.
Many seem to think Don Jr.'s new project will meet the same lackluster fate as his father's internet venture, Truth Social.
Another failed Trump business attempt on the way. Don Jr. plans to launch a news aggregation app to compete with Apple News and Google News. Good luck with that. Daddy\u2019s online platform Truth Social has already bombed big time.pic.twitter.com/Zkn2w8U9aq— Mike Sington (@Mike Sington) 1648078984
Gonna be as successful as Truth Social? How's that one going? Lmao.— Annoying Liberal \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Annoying Liberal \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1648040262
I\u2019m sure it will be just as successful as Truth Social.pic.twitter.com/obEkXWLAXB— Carolyn from Maryland (@Carolyn from Maryland) 1648040394
#TruthSocial was so successful and it's time to branch out. Smooth move junior.— Modeka (@Modeka) 1648044183
One of the biggest things Twitter users are roasting Trump Jr. for is his notion his app will compete with either Google or Apple News apps—both of which are pre-installed on most smart phones.
"Tired of Apple and Big Tech?" he tweeted, encouraging users to try his app instead.
Tired of the monopoly that Apple News and Big Tech has over your news? Download my new app right now for free. Mainstream News without Mainstream Bias right from your iPhone! https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mxm-news/id1576576073\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/ppmcMhBH5C— Donald Trump Jr. (@Donald Trump Jr.) 1647990619
One user pointed out the very obvious irony in the above tweet.
I\u2019d say a prerequisite to developing a SMARTphone would be someone SMART enough to realize he just asked people to boycot Apple by asking people to use Apple products.— Stayin Classy (@Stayin Classy) 1647992793
A fun twist to this story?
MxM is already struggling to establish its brand, trademark and place on search engine listings because it shares its name with K-Pop group MXM.
Guess Don Jr. should have done some Googling before he picked a name.
Donald Trump Jr. launched an aggregation news website, but the site "MxM" notable is now fighting for Google space due to the already established South Korean K-pop duo "MXM."— Zachary Petrizzo (@Zachary Petrizzo) 1648152528
Time will only tell what the roll out will look like for MxM News.
But given the fate of many of the Trump family businesses, it may be a rocky road ahead.
