The White House officially launched its own TikTok account on Tuesday, even as President Donald Trump continues to allow the Chinese-owned platform to operate in the United States despite a law mandating its sale. “America, we are BACK! What’s up TikTok?” read the caption on the account’s first post a 27-second clip that drew around 4,500 followers within an hour. Trump’s personal TikTok account, in contrast, boasts more than 110 million followers, though his last post was on November 5, 2024 Election Day. TikTok is owned by the Beijing-based internet company ByteDance. Under federal law, the platform was supposed to be sold or banned on national security grounds before Trump’s inauguration on January 20. However, Trump, whose 2024 campaign leaned heavily on social media and who has publicly expressed his fondness for TikTok, put the ban on hold. In June, he granted the company an additional 90 days to secure a non-Chinese buyer or face a ban in the U.S. That deadline is now set to expire in mid-September. While Trump had long supported a ban or divestment, he reversed his position and vowed to defend the platform which boasts almost two billion global users after coming to believe it helped him win young voters’ support in the November election. Trump’s official account on X, formerly Twitter, has 108.5 million followers though his favoured social media outlet is Truth Social, which he owns, where he has 10.6 million followers. The official White House accounts on X and Instagram have 2.4 million and 9.3 million followers, respectively.
TikTok receives warm White House reception as Trump delays sale enforcement
