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How a tech mogul backed by JD Vance now bolsters Trump's fortune
How a tech mogul backed by JD Vance now bolsters Trump’s fortune
After accusing tech firms of favoring Democrats, Trump relies on Rumble’s Chris Pavlovski for a key component of his media business.
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{I’m all out.}
Rumble founder and CEO Chris Pavlovski at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland in February. (Zach D Roberts/NurPhoto/AP)
By Isaac Stanley-Becker and Drew Harwell
October 26, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. EDT
In the months after Donald Trump was thrown off social media for inciting a mob assault on the Capitol, a little-known technology mogul moved decisively into the former president’s inner circle. … Chris Pavlovski, the founder and CEO of the video-streaming site Rumble, mingled with Trump’s political staff in March 2021 over a lobster buffet at his Mar-a-Lago club. Pavlovski was introduced over text in May to Trump’s top aide. On calls, he got to know Trump’s family.
These interactions are recorded in an online journal kept by a co-founder of Trump Media & Technology Group, the former president’s fledging media company, and recently introduced as evidence in ongoing litigation between the company and an investment firm that helped take it public. Trump Media operates Truth Social, the competitor to X, formerly called Twitter, where the former president now posts his digital dispatches.
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Pavlovski gave technical advice to Trump Media that helped get the company off the ground in early 2021, according to the journal and a person involved in the activity who, like some others interviewed for this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal business dealings.
Around the same time, Rumble — Pavlovski’s once-obscure video-streaming site — received a cash infusion from a cadre of conservative investors, including JD Vance, now Trump’s running mate. Created as a YouTube alternative eight years earlier, Rumble had recently gained traction with right-wing users chafing against the guardrails erected by major social media services during the coronavirus pandemic.
Josh Dawsey, Peter Jamison, Beth Reinhard and Aaron Schaffer contributed to this report.
Share
{I’m all out.}
By Isaac Stanley-Becker
Isaac Stanley-Becker is an investigative reporter on the national staff.follow on X isaacstanbecker
By Drew Harwell
Drew Harwell is a reporter for The Washington Post covering technology. He was a member of an international reporting team that won a George Polk Award in 2021.follow on X drewharwell
After accusing tech firms of favoring Democrats, Trump relies on Rumble’s Chris Pavlovski for a key component of his media business.
Share
{I’m all out.}
Rumble founder and CEO Chris Pavlovski at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland in February. (Zach D Roberts/NurPhoto/AP)
By Isaac Stanley-Becker and Drew Harwell
October 26, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. EDT
In the months after Donald Trump was thrown off social media for inciting a mob assault on the Capitol, a little-known technology mogul moved decisively into the former president’s inner circle. … Chris Pavlovski, the founder and CEO of the video-streaming site Rumble, mingled with Trump’s political staff in March 2021 over a lobster buffet at his Mar-a-Lago club. Pavlovski was introduced over text in May to Trump’s top aide. On calls, he got to know Trump’s family.
These interactions are recorded in an online journal kept by a co-founder of Trump Media & Technology Group, the former president’s fledging media company, and recently introduced as evidence in ongoing litigation between the company and an investment firm that helped take it public. Trump Media operates Truth Social, the competitor to X, formerly called Twitter, where the former president now posts his digital dispatches.
Story continues below advertisement
Pavlovski gave technical advice to Trump Media that helped get the company off the ground in early 2021, according to the journal and a person involved in the activity who, like some others interviewed for this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal business dealings.
Around the same time, Rumble — Pavlovski’s once-obscure video-streaming site — received a cash infusion from a cadre of conservative investors, including JD Vance, now Trump’s running mate. Created as a YouTube alternative eight years earlier, Rumble had recently gained traction with right-wing users chafing against the guardrails erected by major social media services during the coronavirus pandemic.
Josh Dawsey, Peter Jamison, Beth Reinhard and Aaron Schaffer contributed to this report.
Share
{I’m all out.}
By Isaac Stanley-Becker
Isaac Stanley-Becker is an investigative reporter on the national staff.follow on X isaacstanbecker
By Drew Harwell
Drew Harwell is a reporter for The Washington Post covering technology. He was a member of an international reporting team that won a George Polk Award in 2021.follow on X drewharwell