Despite previous ban threats, Trump Joins TikTok ahead of elections

Donald Trump has just joined TikTok and amassed over 2 million followers with 4 hours. Ironically the former President and Republican presidential candidate, had tried to ban the social media platform based on national security grounds while in office.

On Saturday night, Trump shared a launch video on his @realdonaldtrump account, featuring him greeting fans at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event in Newark, New Jersey. The video has garnered over 34 million views.

In an interesting twist, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said it will leave “no front undefended” in its efforts to reach younger voters.

Joining the platform on Saturday potentially aids the former president in connecting with younger voters as he embarks on his third White House bid, closely contesting Democratic incumbent Joe Biden ahead of the November 5th presidential election.

Though in March, Trump voiced opposition to a TikTok ban, not citing First Amendment concerns but arguing that it would advantage Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta. On Truth Social, he asserted, “If you eliminate TikTok, Facebook and Zuckerschmuck will double their business,” branding Facebook as “a genuine Enemy of the People!”

Despite Biden’s campaign presence on TikTok with 336,000 followers, the administration has supported legislation that could ban the app if its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, fails to divest it. ByteDance is legally contesting the mandate to sell TikTok by January or face prohibition, citing national security concerns.

TikTok contends it does not share U.S. user data with the Chinese government and has implemented extensive privacy measures. Trump’s previous efforts to ban TikTok in 2020 were thwarted by the courts. While he labeled the platform a national security threat, he also acknowledged that banning it could disadvantage young users and bolster Meta Platforms’ Facebook, a platform he vocally criticizes.

Trump already commands a substantial social media following with over 87 million followers on X and more than 7 million on his platform, Truth Social, where he maintains an almost daily presence.