Former US President Donald Trump 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 after Trump’s unsuccessful attempt to ban TikTok during his presidency in 2020, a move that was thwarted by the courts.
The news of Trump’s TikTok presence was first reported by Politico, revealing that he posted a launch video on his account over the weekend. 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 and titled “President Donald J Trump,” quickly amassed over 450,000 followers by early morning GMT.
ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, is currently embroiled in legal battles challenging a US law enacted in April. This law mandates ByteDance to sell TikTok by January 2023 or face potential bans due to national security concerns. The White House has expressed the desire to end Chinese-based ownership of TikTok for national security reasons but has not pursued a complete ban.
TikTok has consistently defended itself, stating that it does not share user data with the Chinese government and has implemented robust privacy measures to protect its users’ information.
Trump’s pivot on TikTok is notable given his previous stance, where he labeled the platform a national security threat. However, he also acknowledged that banning TikTok could harm young users and potentially strengthen rival platforms like Meta Platforms’ Facebook, which he has criticized in the past.
It’s worth noting that President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign also joined TikTok earlier this year, signaling the platform’s growing influence in the political sphere.
Sources By Agencies
