On Tuesday, the White House unveiled its official TikTok account, tapping into the app’s vast user base of over 170 million in the U.S. to amplify President Donald Trump’s messages.
Trump appreciates TikTok, acknowledging its role in helping him secure young voters’ support during his victory over Democrat Kamala Harris in the November 2024 presidential election.
Despite its popularity, Washington lawmakers are concerned about U.S. user data potentially being accessed by China’s government. Trump is negotiating a deal for U.S. investors to acquire TikTok from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
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Intelligence reports have previously indicated the app’s ownership ties to the Chinese government, suggesting it could be used to sway American audiences.
The account, @whitehouse, debuted Tuesday evening with a video featuring Trump declaring: “I am your voice.”
“America, we are BACK! What’s up TikTok?” read the caption.
Trump’s campaign TikTok account, @realdonaldtrump, boasts over 15 million followers. He also frequently uses his Truth Social account for communications and occasionally posts on his X account.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, “The Trump administration is dedicated to sharing President Trump’s historical achievements with as many audiences and platforms as possible.”
“President Trump’s campaign message resonated on TikTok, and we’re eager to expand on that success and communicate in a way no prior administration has,” she added.
A 2024 law mandated TikTok to cease operations by January 19 unless ByteDance sold its U.S. assets or showed significant progress in doing so.
Trump chose not to enforce this law upon starting his second presidential term on January 20. He extended the deadline first to early April, then to June 19, and again to September 17.
These extensions have sparked criticism from some lawmakers, who claim the Trump administration is disregarding the law and national security risks tied to Chinese control over TikTok.
