Trump Joins TikTok Despite Previous Attempts to Ban the Platform.
By Caroline Ameh
Former President Donald Trump has made a surprising entry into the world of TikTok, despite his previous efforts to ban the platform during his presidency over national security concerns.
In 2020, Trump signed an executive order seeking to prohibit TikTok due to its ties to China, a move that was ultimately thwarted by US courts.
However, he has now joined the platform himself, amassing over 3.6 million followers since launching his account on Saturday.
Trump’s decision to join TikTok comes amid criticism of recent attempts to regulate the platform, with the former president arguing that such actions would only serve to bolster competitors like Meta, the parent company of Facebook. Trump stated his intention to utilize “every tool available” to communicate directly with the American people through TikTok.
In contrast, President Joe Biden, who is also using TikTok for his reelection campaign, has garnered significantly fewer followers, with only 340,000 compared to Trump’s millions. Biden recently signed a bill into law requiring ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese owner, to divest the app within nine months or face a US ban, citing concerns over data privacy and national security.
The news of Trump’s TikTok debut comes amidst ongoing legal battles, including his recent conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection to hush-money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Despite acknowledging the national security risks posed by TikTok in a March interview, Trump has argued against a ban, suggesting it would only strengthen competitors like Facebook.
Trump’s presence on social media has been tumultuous, with his Facebook and Instagram accounts suspended following the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, although they have since been reinstated. In response, Trump launched his own alternative social media platform, Truth Social, in 2022, where he holds a majority stake in the parent company, Trump Media.
