Analysis-Trump’s Truth Social app, self-proclaimed foe of Big Tech, needs Apple and Google to survive

FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during a rally in Conroe, Texas, U.S., January 29, 2022. REUTERS/Go Nakamura

(Reuters) - With just weeks to go before an expected launch, Donald Trump’s new media venture is trying to strike a delicate balance with its app: giving Trump's base the freedom to express themselves, without running afoul of Apple and Google’s app store policies.

The launch of Truth Social comes a year after the former U.S. president was banned from Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. It will be a major test of whether Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) and other tech companies that describe themselves as champions of free speech can scale alongside the Silicon Valley gatekeepers that conservatives have accused of squelching free expression.