Former President Donald Trump’s Twitter alternative, Truth Social, launched earlier this year and got off to a slow start. But a new report says the network has been growing since news broke of the FBI raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate earlier this month. 

According to Vice, Truth Social saw a 550 percent surge in downloads a week after the raid, according to Data AI, the company formerly known as App Annie. The app was downloaded 107,500 times in the week after the read, compared to less than 20,000 the week before. Truth Social was the home of Trump’s responses to the raid, which is likely what caused the surge in signups. Trump himself has also been posting to the network more frequently than he had previously. 

The social network has also been noted for more disturbing content, Vice reported. Ricky Shiffer, the man who attempted to attack an FBI office in Cincinnati and was later killed by agents, posted to Truth Social both before and during his standoff with agents. “If you don’t hear from me, it is true I tried attacking the F.B.I. and it’ll mean either I was taken off the internet, the F.B.I. got me, or they sent the regular cops,” Shiffer posted to the network. 

But the news isn’t all good for Trump’s post-presidency media ventures. Per CNBC, Digital World Acquisition Corp. (DWAC), the SPAC company that is carrying out a merger with Trump Media and Technology Group, warned about how the company could possibly be hurt by a decline in Trump’s popularity. 

“The success of the Business Combination depends in part on the popularity of TMTG’s brand and the reputation and popularity of its Chairman, President Donald J. Trump. The value of TMTG’s brand may diminish if the popularity of President Trump were to suffer. Adverse reactions to publicity relating to President Trump, or the loss of his services, could adversely affect TMTG’s revenues, results of operations and its ability to maintain or generate a consumer base, as well as the outcome of the proposed Business combination,” the company said in a filing. 

“While TMTG believes there is sufficient demand for a true free speech platform, the image, reputation, popularity, and talent of its Chairman, President Trump will be important factors to its success,” the filing continued. “

In order to be successful, TMTG will need millions of those people to register and regularly use TMTG’s platform. If President Trump becomes less popular or there are further controversies that damage his credibility or the desire of people to use a platform associated with him, and from which he will derive financial benefit, TMTG’s results of operations, as well as the outcome of the proposed Business combination, could be adversely affected.” the filing noted. 

Stephen Silver, a technology writer for The National Interest, is a journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.

Image: Reuters.