White House joins TikTok as Trump shields app from ban
"America we are BACK! What's up TikTok?" read a caption on the account's first post on the popular video sharing app, a 27-second clip.
The account had about 4,500 followers an hour after posting the video. Trump's personal account on TikTok meanwhile has 110.1 million followers, though his last post was on Nov 5, 2024 – Election Day.
TikTok is owned by China-based internet company ByteDance.
A federal law requiring TikTok's sale or ban on national security grounds was due to take effect the day before Trump's inauguration on Jan 20.
But the Republican, whose 2024 election campaign relied heavily on social media and who has said he is fond of TikTok, put the ban on pause.
In mid-June Trump extended a deadline for the popular video-sharing app by another 90 days to find a non-Chinese buyer or be banned in the United States.
That extension is due to expire in mid-September.
While Trump had long supported a ban or divestment, he reversed his position and vowed to defend the platform – which boasts almost two billion global users – after coming to believe it helped him win young voters' support in the November election.
Trump's official account on X, formerly Twitter, has 108.5 million followers – though his favoured social media outlet is Truth Social, which he owns, where he has 10.6 million followers.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
14 minutes ago
- The Star
Polar bear waltz: Fake Trump-Putin AI images shroud Ukraine peace effort
The online fakery – dubbed widely as AI slop – underscores how easily artificial intelligence tools can flood the Internet with false and satirical content around major global events. — Reuters WASHINGTON: From a fake image of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin dancing in the snow with a polar bear to a fabricated photo of European leaders waiting somberly outside the Oval Office, AI-enabled disinformation has clouded the diplomatic push to end the war in Ukraine. The online fakery – dubbed widely as AI slop – underscores how easily artificial intelligence tools can flood the Internet with false and satirical content around major global events. These creations also highlight the challenge of policing bogus content as tech platforms offer creators monetisation incentives for viral posts. In hundreds of online posts mocking European leaders as powerless mediators snubbed by Trump, one such image purported to show French President Emmanuel Macron and other top officials waiting somberly in a White House corridor with their heads bowed. "This is utter humiliation of these corrupt scumbags. Absolutely beautiful," said one post on X from a conservative political commentator that AFP has previously fact-checked for spreading misinformation about Ukraine. Such posts – in multiple languages including Greek, German and French – gained traction as European leaders joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House Monday for talks with Trump following the US president's summit with Putin in Alaska. Red carpet brawl AFP fact-checkers identified visual inconsistencies that indicate the image including Macron was AI-generated. Some of the individuals depicted in the image also do not match those seen in official photographs from the high-stakes meeting. Macron and other European leaders represented a group of Ukraine's allies known as the "Coalition of the Willing" for White House consultations. But multiple pro-Kremlin sources sharing the AI-generated image ridiculed them as the "coalition of those in waiting". The image was also amplified by sites operated by the Pravda network, a well-resourced Moscow-based operation known to circulate pro-Russian narratives globally, the disinformation watchdog NewsGuard said in a report. The falsehood was an illustration of how "pro-Kremlin sources often seize on high-profile meetings involving European leaders to spread false claims," NewsGuard said. In other viral posts, an AI-generated clip purported to show Trump and Putin skidding down snow-covered slopes, eating ice-cream beside a snowman, and waltzing with a polar bear to country music. And in another AI video, Trump and Putin were depicted brawling on a red carpet leading from an airplane staircase, trading punches and kicks as secret service agents idle in the background. The tongue-in-cheek posts offer a window into a social media landscape increasingly filled with AI-generated memes, videos and images competing for attention with – and sometimes drowning out – authentic content. As tech platforms scale back content moderation, AI videos spread rapidly, muddying the waters around serious diplomatic efforts to end the three-year war in Ukraine. Trump on Tuesday ruled out sending American troops to back up any Ukraine peace deal but suggested air support instead, as European nations began hashing out security guarantees ahead of a potential Russia summit. – AFP
BusinessToday
14 minutes ago
- BusinessToday
Yuan's Central Parity Weakens Against USD
The Chinese yuan's central parity rate weakened modestly on Wednesday, with the reference rate set 25 pips lower at 7.1384 against the U.S. dollar, according to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System (CFETS). Under China's managed floating exchange rate system, the yuan is permitted to fluctuate by up to 2 percent in either direction from the daily central parity rate in the spot foreign exchange market. The mechanism is designed to balance market forces with regulatory oversight, allowing flexibility while maintaining stability in the currency market. Analysts note that the yuan's movement comes against a backdrop of cautious global financial markets, with investors closely monitoring China's economic indicators and potential stimulus measures from Beijing. The modest weakening of the reference rate reflects both external pressures from a stronger U.S. dollar and internal considerations as policymakers seek to maintain a stable trade environment. Market participants say the PBoC is likely to continue striking a balance between supporting the yuan to prevent excessive capital outflows and keeping the currency flexible to accommodate economic realities. Despite near-term fluctuations, the yuan has generally traded within a controlled band this year, underscoring Beijing's commitment to currency stability amid ongoing global uncertainties.
Free Malaysia Today
26 minutes ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Zelensky says ready for bilateral meeting with Putin to end war
President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to reporters in Lafayette Park, across from the White House, after meeting Donald Trump. (AP pic) WASHINGTON : Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday he was willing to meet directly with his Russian counterpart to end the war. Speaking to reporters after talks with US President Donald Trump and several European leaders at the White House, Zelensky said he was ready for what would be his first face-to-face with Vladimir Putin since Moscow's invasion nearly three and a half years ago. 'I confirmed – and all European leaders supported me – that we are ready for a bilateral meeting with Putin,' Zelensky said following the summit. Zelensky has come under increasing pressure to cede territory to end the grinding war, as Russia makes a series of advances. Ahead of the White House meeting, Trump had pushed Ukraine to give up Crimea and abandon its goal of joining Nato – both key demands made by Putin. But Zelensky stressed he had been able to present a clearer picture of the battlelines to Trump, who he met in a one-on-one in the Oval Office. 'This was the best of our meetings,' Zelensky said, according to a statement put out by his office. 'I was able to show many things, even on the map, to all American colleagues regarding the situation on the battlefield.' Rather than concessions from Ukraine, the summit focused on arranging security guarantees in the event of a peace deal, French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters afterwards. Trump said the guarantees 'would be provided by the various European Countries (in) coordination with the United States of America.' Zelensky added that 'it is important that the United States of America gives a clear signal that it will be among the countries that will assist, coordinate and also be participants in security guarantees for Ukraine.' Zelensky said those plans would be 'formalised in some way in the next week or ten days.'
