Thursday open thread: Add plagiarism to his list of malfeasance

So, it seems that Donald Trump's "Truth Social" social media platform is lumbering into existence. And it's already a farce.

First off, it isn't free. You have to fork over $4.99 per week for it. That's $20/month, and $260/year. I'm sure there will be some deal where he'll knock off $60 if you prepay for the year.

Secondly, to secure your screen name, you have to give a donation to the National Republican Senate Committee. When you log in, you are directed to their donation website to finish your registration.

But possibly the most hilarious thing? See if you notice something... familiar in the site design:

That's right, folks. The gonef ripped off Twitter's UI. As a reply to Bob Cesca said:

Getting banned from Twitter was the most grievous wound. He’s so desperate to be back here, they created him an alternate reality.

— Kevin (@mcnamee_kevin) February 16, 2022

When all you have to sustain your frail mindscape is the mindless adulation of your lickspittles, being denied that is like a cocaine addict being locked into a room and forced to quit cold turkey. It doesn't work, and you just slide further into delusion and depression. With a tweet, this scum could affect world events. Now he's just another crazy retiree in Florida, putting out statements no one really cares about, save to laugh at them. So they created a replica of Twitter, like a holodeck program in Star Trek, for him to putter around in. But, of course, it won't be the same. His new venture won't have the reach of Twitter. Few save the most devoted will fork over all that money and privacy information. He'll be bellowing to a few thousand users, and will soon tire of it; even he will realize that Truth Social is cold comfort for being deprived of his tens of millions of followers. And certainly journalists won't pay to join the service, which means they won't be reporting his messages, which will send him into even more of a tailspin.

This year has been very bad and no good for Donald Trump. And a company run by a ne'er-do-well like Devin Nunes, who tried to sue a virtual cow and lost, doesn't give one confidence that it'll survive six months, much less be a going concern. One might be moved to feel pity for a different person suffering under the same delusions. But, since it's Trump: Fuck him. May it circle down the drain in spectacular fashion, and may it finally break what's left of his mind when he realizes that those sixty million followers he had on Twitter aren't that keen on following him to a desert—and pay for the privilege. I, for one, will delight in his mental demise.