Former U.S. president Donald Trump has finally joined TikTok after previously supporting the ban on the popular social media platform due to national security concerns.
Trump's official TikTok account quickly gained attention and now has three million followers and three million likes.
Trump Targets Younger Audience for Campaign on TikTok
Trump posted his first video amid his initial opposition to the platform. His first upload featured his attendance at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) match in New Jersey last Saturday.
In the video, the former president was joined by UFC president and ally Dana White. The 13-second video has hit almost 57 million views within its first 24 hours on the platform.
Trump's decision to join the platform signifies his camp's attempt to connect with young voters ahead of the election. Pew Research Center previously reported that around one-third of Americans under 30 rely on TikTok for news updates.
Presidential Bets Join TikTok Amid Banning Plans
TikTok has been facing one of its most challenging years since its establishment. The current administration is keen to ban the platform due to national security concerns and gave an ultimatum to sell it.
Trump first attempted to ban TikTok in 2020 during his presidency. However, he was blocked by the court and failed to proceed with it. Recently, the former president shared that banning TikTok would only strengthen Meta.
Before Trump, president Joe Biden also joined the platform as part of its electoral campaign. Currently, the Biden-Harris HQ account has around 340,700 followers with 4.5 million likes. The move to lean on TikTok to reach a huge population of younger voters is now evident for both parties.
TikTok was given until January 2025 to sell the platform or risk getting banned in the U.S. The social media platform remains firm that U.S. data are not shared with the Chinese government.
