White House launches TikTok account as September deadline for platform's ban looms
'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 November 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 January 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 favored social media outlet is Truth Social, which he owns, where he has 10.6 million followers.
The official White House accounts on X and Instagram have 2.4 million and 9.3 million followers, respectively.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
4 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
A new European security landscape is emerging after Alaska summit
The Alaska summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was a test balloon for Trump to find out, as he said, what Putin had in mind. The subsequent meeting in the White House between Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders was another test balloon – for Europe – to find out what Trump had in mind. Both were useful yet not really productive. Advertisement To start with, Putin has emerged as a clear winner. The red-carpet welcome on American soil with a historical connection with Russia could not have been more gratifying. If well begun is half done, Putin has capitalised on the occasion by springing an invitation on Trump to travel to Moscow for the next talk. If successful, Russia's isolation in the West would be gradually lifted. Even better if Trump wants to talk about anything else that could help to turn the West-sanctioned country into a normal one. And Putin most certainly knows how to flatter. As he said: 'Today, when President Trump [said] that if he was the president back then, there would be no war. And I'm quite sure that it would indeed be so.' How can Trump not nod to this? It is easy to understand why the war, which has gone on for 3½ years, shows no sign of ending soon. What one cannot achieve on the battlefield can hardly be gained at the negotiation table. It is also easy to understand why Russia wants to talk about a peace agreement rather than a ceasefire. Advertisement
South China Morning Post
4 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
Russia offers India ‘special mechanism' to keep buying its oil, amid Trump tariff threat
Russia expects to continue supplying oil to India thanks to a 'special mechanism' despite warnings from the United States , Russian embassy officials in New Delhi said on Wednesday, adding that Moscow hopes trilateral talks will soon take place with India and China. US President Donald Trump has announced an additional tariff of 25 per cent on Indian goods exported to the US from August 27, as a punishment for buying Russian oil, which constitutes 35 per cent of India's total imports compared with a negligible 0.2 per cent before the Ukraine war. top aide to Donald Trump earlier this month accused India of effectively financing Russia's war in Ukraine by buying oil from Moscow. 'I want to highlight that despite the political situation, we can predict that the same level of oil import [by India],' Roman Babushkin, the charge d'affaires at the Russian embassy in India, told a press briefing. He predicted India and Russia would find ways to overcome Trump's latest tariffs in their 'national interests'. Trade talks between India and the US broke down over the opening up of India's vast farm and dairy sectors, as well as its purchases of Russian oil. The total tariff announced on Indian goods entering the US is 50 per cent.
South China Morning Post
4 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong court challenges Jimmy Lai's rights claims in national security trial
Two Hong Kong judges hearing Jimmy Lai Chee-ying's national security trial have expressed reservations about the defence characterising the former media boss's alleged endeavours to trigger Western sanctions and foster hatred towards authorities as a legitimate exercise of fundamental rights. The 77-year-old Apple Daily tabloid founder's legal team on Wednesday started presenting its closing arguments at West Kowloon Court after the prosecution made their final remarks in his case of conspiracies to print seditious publications and collude with foreign forces. Senior counsel Robert Pang Yiu-hung opened his speech by hitting out at what he saw as prosecutors' attempt to 'denigrate' human rights and dismiss it as 'an alien concept'. 'You can't force someone to think in one way or another,' the lawyer said. 'Nor is it wrong to hope that the government would change its policies, whether through its own internal review or through suggestion or even pressure, whether from inside Hong Kong or out.' Madam Justice Esther Toh Lye-ping, one of three presiding High Court judges, said the charges were not as simple as that.
