USA's White House establishes TikTok presence amidst legality uncertainty in the country
In the digital realm of social media, the story of former U.S. President Donald Trump's relationship with TikTok is a captivating one.
During 2020, President Trump's stance on TikTok, the popular video-sharing app owned by the China-based internet company ByteDance, underwent a significant shift. Concerns about TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, potentially accessing American user data led to strong action from Trump. On August 6, 2020, he issued Executive Order 13942, banning transactions with ByteDance, and on August 14, he gave a 90-day ultimatum for ByteDance to divest its U.S. TikTok assets due to credible national security threats.
However, Trump indicated support for American companies acquiring TikTok's U.S. operations to mitigate these concerns. Oracle emerged as a potential buyer during this period. TikTok was temporarily shielded by court rulings blocking the ban, but after Trump left office, his executive orders were reversed by President Biden in June 2021.
Since then, TikTok's fate has remained contentious, with ongoing investigations, attempts to negotiate sales of TikTok’s U.S. operations, and delayed ban enforcement to allow for such deals. The debates centre on data security, surveillance fears, and geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China, which drive the evolving policy landscape.
Trump's TikTok account, with 110.1 million followers, saw his last post on November 5, 2024. Interestingly, Trump extended a deadline for TikTok by another 90 days, with the extension due to expire in mid-September.
The former President's social media strategy was heavily reliant on these platforms. While Twitter, where he has 108.5 million followers, was once his preferred outlet, Trump has since shifted his favours to Truth Social, where he now boasts 10.6 million followers.
Despite his initial stance, Trump reversed his position on TikTok and vowed to defend the platform after believing it helped him win young voters' support in the November election. The implementation of the federal law, due to take effect on January 19, 2025, was put on pause by President Trump.
In a surprising turn of events, the White House launched a TikTok account on August 19, 2025. The official White House account on X, a platform similar to Twitter, has 2.4 million followers, while the official White House account on Instagram, boasts 9.3 million followers. The White House TikTok account's first post was a 27-second clip.
President Trump has expressed fondness for TikTok, and the White House account has been gaining followers at a rapid pace, with approximately 4,500 followers an hour after posting. The evolving saga of TikTok and its relationship with the U.S. government continues to unfold, providing a fascinating insight into the intersection of technology, politics, and social media.
[1] CNN [2] The Verge [3] Reuters [4] Politico
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