"America's back! What's happening, TikTok?", the White House stated in its first post on August 19, accompanied by a 27-second video showcasing President Donald Trump's activities. In the video, Trump declares, "I am your voice".

The account garnered 4,500 followers within an hour of its creation and now boasts over 30,500. The official White House accounts on X and Instagram have 2.4 million and 9.3 million followers, respectively.

"This administration is committed to sharing the historic accomplishments of President Trump with the American people across as many platforms and audiences as possible. President Trump's message resonated widely on TikTok throughout the presidential campaign. We're excited to build upon that success and connect with Americans in a way no administration has done before," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

The White House's TikTok account. Screenshot

The White House's TikTok account. Screenshot

President Trump's personal TikTok account has over 110 million followers, although his last post dates back to the November 5, 2024 election. His X account has 108.5 million followers. However, the platform favored by the president and where he posts regularly is Truth Social, which he owns, with 10.6 million followers.

TikTok is owned by the China-based company ByteDance. In April 2024, then-President Joe Biden signed legislation requiring ByteDance to divest from TikTok or cease operations in the US.

Trump previously supported banning TikTok or forcing ByteDance to divest. However, he reversed his stance, vowing to protect the platform after believing it helped him gain support among young voters in the November 2024 presidential election.

In mid-June, President Trump granted the app a 90-day extension to find a non-Chinese buyer or face a ban in the US. The deadline extends to mid-September.

Huyen Le (AFP, Reuters)