- tech360.tv
Donald Trump Joins TikTok and Rapidly Gains Two Million Followers
Donald Trump has joined TikTok and has quickly amassed over 2 million followers. His participation on the platform could help him engage with younger voters in his campaign for the presidency. Joe Biden's campaign also uses TikTok, but he has signed legislation that may prohibit the app if certain conditions are not satisfied.
This follows Trump's earlier efforts to ban the app on national security grounds during his presidency. His TikTok presence may now help him connect with younger people as he begins on his third presidential campaign, where he faces a close race against Democratic incumbent Joe Biden ahead of the November 5 election.
While Biden's election campaign already has 336,000 TikTok followers, it's worth noting that he has signed legislation that would ban the app if its Chinese owner, ByteDance, fails to divest it. Despite this, Trump's decision to join the platform illustrates his commitment to leaving "no front undefended" in his efforts to reach out to younger people.
Trump made his TikTok debut on Saturday night, posting a launch video to his @realdonaldtrump account. The video, which has received more than 34 million views, shows Trump embracing supporters at an Ultimate Fighting Championship battle in Newark, New Jersey.
TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, is presently battling a rule requiring it to sell the platform by January 2023 or face a ban. The White House has expressed alarm over Chinese control on national security reasons. However, TikTok has categorically denied any data exchange with the Chinese government and has put in place strong safeguards to protect user privacy.
It's worth recalling that Trump's first attempt to ban TikTok in 2020 was struck down by the courts. While he had labelled the platform as a national security concern, he also noted that a ban would harm young people and potentially bolster Meta Platforms' Facebook, which he has long opposed.
Despite his debut into TikTok, Trump already has a sizable social media presence, with over 87 million followers on X and more than 7 million followers on his own site, Truth Social, where he routinely makes updates.
Donald Trump has joined TikTok and gained over 2 million followers in a short period.
His presence on the platform could help him connect with younger voters in his bid for the White House.
Joe Biden's campaign is also on TikTok, but he has signed a bill that could ban the app if certain conditions are not met.
Source: REUTERS