Truth Social, the social media platform backed by Donald Trump, has launched an AI-powered search engine called Truth Search AI, built on technology from startup Perplexity.
Currently available on the web version of Truth Social, the new search tool is set to enter public beta on iOS and Android apps soon. According to a press release from Trump Media, the AI engine offers “direct, contextually accurate answers with transparent citations” and is expected to greatly expand the platform’s searchable information. However, Truth Social retains control over which sources the AI is allowed to query.
The search engine is built on Perplexity’s Sonar API, which retrieves verified and up-to-date information even from websites that attempt to block Perplexity’s crawlers. It also supports structured outputs, allowing users to define how they want results displayed.
Despite the tool’s open-ended capabilities, its effectiveness on Truth Social depends heavily on what sources the platform permits. “We have no visibility or control over that,” said Perplexity spokesperson Jesse Dwyer, emphasizing that the API behaves like it would for any user restricting it to custom datasets or private networks.
Axios tested the bot with politically charged questions such as “What happened on January 6, 2021?” and “Why was Donald Trump impeached?” The answers mostly cited conservative outlets like FoxNews.com, The Washington Times, and Epoch Times, in contrast to Perplexity’s public version, which references a broader mix including Wikipedia, NPR, Politico, and Reddit.
Devin Nunes, CEO of Trump Media and former congressman, stated that Truth Social will continue evolving the search function “based on user feedback” and has plans for further platform enhancements.
Dmitry Shevelenko, Perplexity’s Chief Business Officer, added that the company’s tech emphasizes transparency: “Our AI provides citations so users can dig deeper into the information.”
The launch of Truth Search AI coincides with broader federal interest in AI services. Just this week, the U.S. government added OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic to an approved vendor list for civilian agencies. OpenAI, notably, struck a deal to offer ChatGPT Enterprise access for $1 per year.
Meanwhile, Trump continues to push for “ideologically neutral AI”, recently signing an executive order targeting “biased AI” systems, particularly those referencing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) themes which the order labeled as “pervasive and destructive.”
