In a surprising move, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has joined TikTok, a platform he previously attempted to ban during his presidency on national security grounds. Just a day after creating his account, Trump has already attracted three million followers.
Trump’s decision to join TikTok on Saturday appears to be a strategic effort to connect with younger voters as he campaigns for a third term in the White House. His competition, Democratic incumbent Joe Biden, is also active on TikTok with over 340,000 followers. Despite signing a bill that would ban the app unless its Chinese owner, ByteDance, divests Biden’s campaign continues to leverage the platform, which boasts 170 million American users.
Trump’s first video, posted under the handle @realdonaldtrump, features him greeting fans at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event in Newark, New Jersey. This launch video quickly went viral, garnering more than 56 million views. In a statement, Trump emphasized his intent to “use every tool available to speak directly with the American people.”
ByteDance is currently challenging a law that mandates it to sell TikTok by next January or face a ban, citing national security concerns from the U.S. government. The White House aims to end Chinese-based ownership of the platform, while TikTok argues that it has implemented significant measures to protect U.S. user data and does not share information with the Chinese government.
Trump’s initial attempt to ban TikTok in 2020 was blocked by the courts. Despite calling the platform a national security threat in March, Trump acknowledged that banning it could negatively impact young users and benefit Meta Platforms’ Facebook, a company he has criticized.