Trump has transitioned into a TikTok user.
Ever since his prohibition from Twitter and Facebook following the storming of the Capitol, Donald Trump has been waging war against social media platforms. He primarily uses his own now: "Truth Social". However, surprisingly, Trump also joined TikTok and wants to reach younger audiences.
Trump has become a part of the contentious social media platform, TikTok, and has amassed 1.3 million followers in a short span of time. The website could help the Republican presidential candidate, especially appealing to the youth segment, as it is notably popular among this age bracket. Joe Biden's election campaign already has a presence on the platform.
The creation of this channel signals a shift in Trump's social media landscape. During his presidency, Trump had attempted to ban TikTok, but failed due to legal resistance. His successor Joe Biden signed a law in April that allows ByteDance until January to sell TikTok; otherwise, a ban will be enforced.
TikTok has 170 million users in the US, which is nearly half the country's population. The app is suspected of espionage in numerous countries due to its association with the Chinese government. The company and Chinese authorities have repeatedly refuted these accusations.
In March, Trump criticized TikTok and Facebook, stating they pose a risk to national security. But, a TikTok ban would actually benefit Facebook. "I don't want Facebook to reap the profits," Trump posted on "Truth Social" in early March. The parent company, Meta, had suspended Trump's access to Facebook and Instagram after the January 6, 2021, riot in Washington, which is why he holds a much less favorable opinion about this online network.
These bans were later revoked, but Trump has mainly relied on the platform he established: "Truth Social". He only utilizes other social media platforms in rare instances, like when he provided an interview to host Tucker Carlson, which was shared on X. On X, Trump has 87 million followers and on his own platform, Truth Social, he has 7 million.
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Despite his past attempts to ban TikTok due to national security concerns, Trump has now joined the platform and gained over 1.3 million followers. In contrast, his ban from using Facebook and Twitter following the Capitol incident has led him to primarily use "Truth Social" and occasionally share his content on X, which has 87 million followers.
