Donald Trump joins TikTok: Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, has made a surprising move by joining TikTok, the popular short-video social media platform owned by China-based tech giant ByteDance.
This decision comes in contrast to his previous attempts to ban the platform during his presidency as the US gears up for the upcoming elections in November.
According to Politico, which broke the news, Donald Trump shared a launch video on his TikTok account on Saturday night. The video depicted Trump interacting with fans at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event in Newark, New Jersey.
Trump’s TikTok account, under the handle @realdonaldtrump, quickly amassed over 450,000 followers by 0800 GMT, indicating a significant following in a short span.
ByteDance finds itself embroiled in legal battles against a US law enacted in April mandating the sale of TikTok by January 2023 or facing a ban. The White House’s stance underscores concerns about national security risks associated with Chinese ownership, though it stops short of advocating for a complete TikTok ban.
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In response, TikTok has staunchly maintained that it does not share US user data with the Chinese government and has implemented robust privacy protection measures.
Trump’s previous bid to ban TikTok in 2020 faced legal setbacks, with courts blocking his efforts.
While Trump has characterized TikTok as a national security threat, he also acknowledged the adverse effects a ban would have on young users and suggested it would only bolster Meta Platforms’ Facebook, a company he has vocally criticized.
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Interestingly, President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign ventured onto TikTok in February, signaling the platform’s growing significance in the political arena.
