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Former President Donald Trump has officially joined TikTok, a platform he once sought to ban over security concerns.
Within hours of joining TikTok on Saturday, Trump amassed over 2.3 million followers. Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung stated their commitment to engaging younger voters, saying they will leave “no front undefended.” Trump’s first post, shared under the handle @realdonaldtrump, features him greeting fans at an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event in Newark, New Jersey. This video has more than 34 million views.
@realdonaldtrump Launching my TikTok at @UFC 302.
♬ original sound - President Donald J Trump
Biden’s campaign, already on TikTok with 336,000 followers, faces its own challenges as Biden has signed a bill that would ban the app if its Chinese owner, ByteDance, does not divest its US operations. Trump also attempted to ban TikTok as President, but the courts ultimately blocked the move. He has since reiterated concerns about TikTok’s national security risks but acknowledged that a ban could negatively impact young users and benefit Meta (which controls Facebook and Instagram), a company he has criticized.
ByteDance is contesting the law requiring it to sell TikTok by January or face a ban. The White House maintains that Chinese app ownership poses a national security threat. However, TikTok has insisted it will not share US user data with the Chinese government and has implemented significant privacy safeguards.
Recently, a US appeals court set a fast-track schedule to review the legal challenges to the new law. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has scheduled oral arguments for September, following a joint request by TikTok, ByteDance, a group of content creators, and the Justice Department for an expedited hearing.