Trump turns to TikTok for new political push: Details revealed
Donald Trump, President of the US (photo: Getty Images)
The White House has officially launched an account on TikTok. While the move is aimed at engaging a younger audience, it has already sparked a new wave of debates over the app’s security and China’s influence, reports Reuters.
The White House has officially launched an account on TikTok to communicate directly with Americans through the popular app, which has over 170 million users in the US.
The first video posted by President Donald Trump on the new @whitehouse account, captioned “America we are BACK! What's up TikTok?”, was accompanied by the president’s words: “I am your voice.”
Trump has long expressed admiration for TikTok, considering it a key factor in his victory over Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. His campaign account, @realdonaldtrump, gathered more than 15 million followers, and the new official White House channel is intended to further expand audience reach.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized that the administration seeks to share President Trump’s historic achievements with as many people as possible and across as many platforms as possible. She stressed that the president has already proven TikTok’s effectiveness during his campaign, and now the team aims to build on that success on a national scale.
However, the move has sparked concern in Washington. Lawmakers point out that in 2024, Congress passed legislation requiring TikTok to cease operations in the US by January 19, 2025, unless the Chinese parent company ByteDance sells the app to American investors. Despite this, after beginning his second presidential term, Trump postponed enforcement of the law three times - first to April, then to June, and ultimately to September.
Critics view this as ignoring national security risks. According to US intelligence assessments, TikTok could potentially be used by China to collect data and influence public opinion in the US. Trump, for his part, is negotiating a deal with American investors that would aim to mitigate these risks.
Despite the controversy, the White House is betting on TikTok as a platform that enables direct engagement with young voters and offers competition to traditional media.
For reference, President Donald Trump recently stated that if Crimea had been occupied during his presidency, it would have remained front-page news for 20 years.
