Trump Joins TikTok, Embraces Platform He Once Tried to Ban
Former President Donald Trump has made a surprising move by joining TikTok, the popular Chinese-owned social media platform that he once attempted to ban during his presidency. Trump’s first post on TikTok was a launch video on Saturday night, showing him waving to fans at a UFC fight in New Jersey. The move appears to be an effort to connect with younger voters who frequent the app, as Trump prepares for a potential rematch against President Biden in the 2024 election.
Trump’s decision to join TikTok is a significant reversal from his previous stance on the platform. In 2020, during his last year as president, Trump tried to ban the app in the U.S. market over national security concerns. His executive order was eventually blocked in federal court. However, Trump changed his mind this year and came out in opposition to Biden’s potential ban on TikTok.
The app appears to be friendly ground for the former president, with roughly twice as many pro-Trump posts compared to pro-Biden posts on the site, according to recent reports from the New York Times and Puck. Biden’s 2024 re-election campaign joined TikTok in February, but the president signed a law in April forcing TikTok’s Chinese owner to sell the app within a year or face a ban in the U.S.
Regardless of Trump’s previous attempts to ban TikTok, his decision to join the platform highlights the importance of social media in modern politics. With TikTok having around 170 million users in the U.S., Trump’s presence on the app could potentially help him reach a wider audience and connect with younger voters.
It remains to be seen how effective Trump’s TikTok strategy will be, but his decision to join the platform is a clear indication that he is willing to embrace new forms of communication to engage with voters.
