Despite a previous move to prohibit TikTok during his tenure, former President Donald Trump recently joined the popular video-sharing platform. This decision signifies his latest strategy to reach younger voters ahead of the forthcoming general election in November. Marking his debut on the platform, Trump shared his initial video on Saturday evening during an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) match in New Jersey. The video shows Trump alongside Dana White, the CEO of UFC, visibly affirming “Mr President is now on TikTok,” to which Trump reacts, declaring it as a privilege.
This shift in Trump’s perspective about TikTok is notable, given his previously attempted restriction on the app, citing national security reasons. The brief 13-seconds video portrays Trump’s entry into the crowded arena, receiving an enthused greeting from UFC enthusiasts, with Kid Rock’s hit, ‘American Bad Ass’ playing as the backdrop.
By Sunday, Trump’s account had attracted over 1.1 million followers and his first video post had accumulated more than one million positive reactions and around 24 million views. The inaugural post on TikTok represents an amplified attempt of his campaign to underscore the warm welcome he usually enjoys at UFC fights, an event frequented mostly by young males, primarily his supporter base.
Conversely, during his presidency, Trump had shown concern regarding the ownership of TikTok by the Chinese firm ByteDance, implicating national security issues. In 2020, he issued an order compelling the firm to relinquish its American assets, which was subsequently overturned before his departure from the White House. This year, a legislative bill requiring TikTok’s owner to sell the app or face a ban in the US received wide-ranging approval from both parties in Congress. Trump noted his opposition to a ban, articulating a desire not to estrange young people or boost Meta’s dominance, the parent company of social media giants Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Following the signing of the bill by President Joe Biden, Trump seized the opportunity to connect with the younger population, cautioning them on his social media platform, Truth Social, “Remember youngsters, it’s Deceitful Joe Biden who wishes to deprive you of your beloved TikTok”.
Steven Cheung, a representative for Trump’s campaign, expressed Trump’s decision to join TikTok as an effort to engage with the youth electorate. “Our campaign will leave no stone unturned, and this signifies our sustained attempt to reach younger supporters consuming pro-Trump and anti-Biden information,” he noted in an announcement.
There continues to be concerns from lawmakers and intelligence officers that the application could pose a threat to national security, primarily due to the potential of the Chinese government using it as a means to disseminate propaganda, especially in an election year.
Last month, the company announced its plan to introduce new restrictions to curb the propagation of videos from state-aligned media handles, which include those from China and Russia. TikTok has also launched a legal challenge against the federal government to contest a law that compels either a ban or a sale of the app.
This piece was initially published in The New York Times.