The White House initiated an official presence on TikTok on Tuesday. This launch occurred shortly before a deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the social media platform. The deadline required TikTok to either find a new owner or face a potential ban within the United States.
The account's inaugural video was released on Tuesday afternoon. The 27-second clip showcased footage of President Trump engaging with his supporters. The video was accompanied by audio from his acceptance speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention.
Within hours of its debut, the White House's TikTok account had accumulated over 57,000 followers. In comparison, the TikTok account used by Trump for his presidential campaign last year had a significantly larger following, exceeding 15 million followers.
During his first term, President Trump signed an executive order that aimed to ban the app, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. The order stipulated that the app could continue operating in the U.S. only if ByteDance sold its U.S. operations to an American company. However, the order was never implemented due to legal challenges.
Since his second term, President Trump has extended the deadline for TikTok twice. The extensions were granted on January 20 and April 4, each lasting 75 days. On June 19, Trump signed another executive order, allowing TikTok to continue operating in the United States for an additional 90 days. This extended the deadline to September 17, 2025.
5 Comments
Bermudez
They are going where the people are. What's wrong with wanting to inform a broader audience?
Coccinella
They are embracing the new media landscape, and that's a good thing.
Muchacha
If a platform is used by Americans, it's important for the government to be on it.
Matzomaster
It's about time! It's crucial to communicate directly with the public, and social media is the perfect avenue.
dedus mopedus
TikTok is a huge influence these days. The White House needs visibility there.