The White House launched an official TikTok account on Tuesday, marking a significant reversal from Donald Trump's earlier stance. The first post, a 27-second clip, captioned “America we are BACK! What’s up TikTok?” gained about 4,500 followers within an hour.
Trump, who previously vowed to ban the Chinese-owned app in 2020 over national security concerns, has softened his position after crediting TikTok with helping him win young voters in the 2024 presidential election. He defeated Democrat Kamala Harris in November.
A federal law requiring TikTok's sale or ban took effect on 19 January, the day before Trump's inauguration. Trump paused enforcement and has since extended the deadline three times, most recently in mid-June, by 90 days to find a non-Chinese buyer. ByteDance, TikTok's parent, said any sale would need Chinese approval.
Trump joined TikTok during his 2024 campaign, amassing 15.1 million followers. He hosted TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew at Mar-a-Lago, and Chew attended Trump's inauguration. Trump's personal account last posted on election day.
The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, stated the administration aims to communicate its successes across as many platforms as possible. Trump's official X account has 108.5 million followers, while the White House X account has 2.4 million and its Instagram account 9.3 million.
