White House Joins TikTok, Trump Bets Big on App Despite China Concerns
X
TikTok, owned by the China-based company ByteDance, has more than 170 million users in the United States. Trump has embraced the platform, crediting it for helping him win support among younger voters during his 2024 race against Democrat Kamala Harris. His campaign handle, @realdonaldtrump, already has over 15 million followers.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration plans to use the platform aggressively. "The Trump administration," she said, "is eager to keep the American people, through as many audiences as possible, informed of President Trump's historic successes achieved despite a decade of partisan obstruction by the," etc. We are thrilled to be able to capitalize on the campaign's momentum."
The decision comes amid fierce political debate in Washington. Lawmakers and intelligence officials have also warned that TikTok's ownership could provide the Chinese government with access to Americans' sensitive data. Previous assessments have indicated that the app could be used to shape American political opinion.
By 2024, Congress had passed a law that mandated the Chinese app either divest itself of its U.S. assets or face a nationwide ban by Jan. 19, 2025. ByteDance has yet to finalize a deal, but Trump, who resumed office in January, has raised the deadline several times — first in April and, later, to June and now September 17.
These extensions have prompted some lawmakers to push back, accusing the administration of prioritizing politics over national security. Critics say the White House is papering over the risks associated with Chinese ownership of the platform;
Trump's allies counter that the app has grown too vital to political communication to cast away.
Despite the controversy, Trump remains committed to the multi-platform approach. Next to TikTok, he is an active poster on Truth Social, the social media network he created, and, less frequently, X, once known as Twitter.
The White House's official TikTok would feature Trump's policy accomplishments and push his administration's messaging in a more casual and fun format that hopes to connect with the large pool of younger audiences who use the app.
With a deadline for TikTok's divestment still less than a week away and a ban on the app's U.S. business looming in order to "address national security threats," the future of the app in the U.S. remains up in the air. For the moment, the White House is counting on the app as a potent tool for expanding its reach, even as the political and security issues hover overhead.
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