White House launches official TikTok account after Trump vowed ban in 2020

[bnew]

White House launches official TikTok account after Trump vowed ban in 2020

US president was concerned over app’s Chinese ownership, but has softened after believing it won him 2024 election

www.theguardian.com

White House launches official TikTok account after Trump vowed ban in 2020​

US president was concerned over app’s Chinese ownership, but has softened after believing it won him 2024 election

Guardian staff and agencies

Tue 19 Aug 2025 20.20 EDT

TikTok is a tremendously popular social media app with 170 million users in the US. Photograph: Dado Ruvić/Reuters

The White House launched an official TikTok account on Tuesday, as Donald Trump continues to permit the Chinese-owned platform to operate in the US despite a law requiring its sale.

“America we are BACK! What’s up TikTok?” read a caption on the account’s first post, a 27-second clip, on the popular video-sharing app.

The account had about 4,500 followers an hour after posting the video. Trump’s personal account on TikTok meanwhile has 15.1 million followers, though his last post was on 5 November 2024 – election day.

Trump has a soft spot for the popular app, crediting it with helping him gain support among young voters when he defeated Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent, in the November 2024 presidential election.

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...e-peers-to-fight-trumps-attack-on-environment

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...e-peers-to-fight-trumps-attack-on-environment

“The Trump administration is committed to communicating the historic successes President Trump has delivered to the American people with as many audiences and platforms as possible,” Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said as the account went live.

A federal law requiring TikTok’s sale or a ban on national security grounds was due to take effect the day before Trump’s inauguration on 20 January.

But the Republican president, whose 2024 election campaign relied heavily on social media and who has said he is fond of TikTok, put the ban on pause.

TikTok is a tremendously popular social media app with 170 million users in the US. ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, said in April that it had been in discussion with the US government regarding a solution for the app. It added that any agreement “will be subject to approval under Chinese law”.

In mid-June, Trump for the third time extended the deadline for the popular video-sharing app by another 90 days to find a non-Chinese buyer or be banned in the United States.

That extension is due to expire in mid-September.

The idea of banning TikTok originated with Trump in 2020, who said the Chinese-owned app posed a danger to national security. It quickly became a bipartisan issue and Congress overwhelmingly voted to ban the app last year, which faced a legal challenge but was ultimately affirmed by the supreme court. The original deadline for the TikTok ban was 19 January.

Trump switched his stance on TikTok after joining the app while campaigning for president last year, amassing nearly 15 million followers and hosting the TikTok CEO, Shou Zi Chew, at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Chew also attended Trump’s inauguration.

While Trump had long supported a ban or divestment, he reversed his position and vowed to defend the platform – which boasts almost 2 billion global users – after coming to believe it helped him win young voters’ support in the November election.

Trump’s official account on X, formerly Twitter, has 108.5 million followers – though his favored social media outlet is Truth Social, which he owns, where he has 10.6 million followers.

The official White House accounts on X and Instagram have 2.4 million and 9.3 million followers, respectively.

Dara Kerr contributed reporting

This article was amended on 20 August 2025. An earlier version said that Donald Trump’s personal TikTok account had 101.1 million followers. In fact, that is the number of likes his account has and he has 15.1 million followers.

 

[bnew]

The White House has an official TikTok, and it's already getting dragged

"trump is about to learn very quickly that tiktok hates him"

mashable.com

The White House has an official TikTok, and it's already getting dragged​

"trump is about to learn very quickly that tiktok hates him"

By

Amanda Yeo

on August 20, 2025

Credit: Mashable screenshot: @whitehouse on TikTok

---

The White House has opened an official TikTok account, apparently with the intention of promoting President Donald Trump to the public. Unfortunately for the Trump administration, most TikTok users don't seem happy to have it around.

Launched on Tuesday, the @whitehouse TikTok account currently has Trump's tagline, "Welcome to the Golden Age of America," on its profile, and has posted three videos at time of publishing.

The White House's debut TikTok features a montage of Trump attending rallies and making public appearances, while his voiceover declares himself the "voice" of the American people. "America we are BACK! What’s up TikTok?" reads the first video's description. The second video is a montage of shots of the White House itself.

Finally, the third video features clips of Trump which appear to highlight his more mocked or criticised behaviour. These include press conference incidents of intimidation toward Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney, and Maine governor Janet Mills, comments about Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, as well as his comment that "everything's computer" in a Tesla Model S Plaid during Elon Musk's Tesla promotion on the White House lawn. The video description quotes one clip of Trump, telling reporters in June 2025, "I was the hunted, and now I'm the hunter."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the legitimacy of its TikTok account, stating that it will be used to inform people of the ostensibly "historic successes President Trump has delivered to the American people."

"President Trump's message dominated TikTok during his presidential campaign, and we're excited to build upon those successes and communicate in a way no other administration has before," Leavitt told Reuters.

TikTok users give official White House account frosty reception​

Unfortunately for the White House, its effort to connect with TikTok's 170 million U.S. users hasn't been well received thus far. As of writing, the majority of comments under the White House's TikTok videos have given it a decidedly frosty reception, criticising and mocking Trump and his administration.

"I thought TikTok was a national security threat? At least thats what Trump said in [his] August 6, 2020 executive order to ban it," wrote @jjackson5150 in one of the first video's most liked comments. "Now they have a official White House account. This just proves it was never about security. They just want to control it."

"[California's Democratic governor and outspoken Trump critic] GAVIN NEWSOM IS THE STRONGEST GOVERNOR IN AMERICA," wrote @amanda.c.e in another highly liked comment. "HES THE GREATEST. NO ONE IS BETTER THAN HIM."

"trump is about to learn very quickly that tiktok hates him," commented @yeah.by.usher on the third video.

Though Trump did attempt to ban TikTok in the U.S. during his first term as president in 2020, it was former President Joe Biden that ultimately signed the current U.S. TikTok ban into law. However, it seems Trump's views on TikTok have significantly shifted since 2020. The president has issued several delays on the TikTok ban's enforcement since taking office for a second time, enabling the popular video sharing app to continue operating in the U.S. without facing penalties.

The Biden administration also specifically banned TikTok from federal U.S. government devices in 2022, a restriction that is still in place. Even so, some government officials continue to operate TikTok accounts, presumably circumventing the ban by using personal devices. Trump's TikTok account currently has 15.1 million followers, while Vice President J.D. Vance has 2.5 million.

Aside from noting the TikTok ban and posting political memes, many of the comments on the White House's videos call for the Trump administration to release information on convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

"where is the epstien files? release the files," @lexguy8596 wrote in one of the most liked comments under the first TikTok. "and why is the white house posting on a banned app?"

Trump received significant criticism from his supporters last month after repeatedly urging them to move on from Epstein and stop asking for his client list. The president had initially promised to release information on Epstein's associates during his second presidential campaign, while his Attorney General Pam Bondi stated in February his client list was "sitting on [her] desk." However, the U.S. Department of Justice and FBI stated in July that no such list exists — a claim many Trump supporters find difficult to believe.

Social media users have continued to call for Trump to release the "Epstein files" since, expressing disappointment and disillusionment with the U.S. president. Trump was even ratioed by users on his own social media platform Truth Social, with thousands of people launching a deluge of criticism at him. Considering that Truth Social's user base is overwhelmingly dominated by Trump's supporters, it's no surprise that the White House's reception on TikTok has been even less friendly.

 

[bnew]

Spoiler: text

Commented on Wed Aug 20 12:22:59 2025 UTC

Remember when Trump wanted to ban TikTok because of Chinese influence and national security? Are we cool now?

│
│

Spoiler: text

│ Commented on Wed Aug 20 12:43:50 2025 UTC
│
│ The bribe check went through.
│

│ │
│ │

Spoiler: text

│ │ Commented on Wed Aug 20 13:43:04 2025 UTC
│ │
│ │ After a meeting with Jeff Yass, a major investor in TikTok trump decided it was fine
│ │

 

[bnew]

Spoiler: text

Commented on Wed Aug 20 02:47:00 2025 UTC

It's almost as if the CPC was never the issue at all, and they just wanted to shut down an app that was playing a massive factor in exposing Israel's genocide and warcrimes.

Seems it's more useful as a fascist propaganda outlet though so rather than shutting it down they just fukk with the algorithm and censor the hell out of it instead.

It's still so funny how the week-long "ban" ended up putting a lot of folks onto an actual Chinese app where they instantly started unlearning the sinophobic propaganda we've been force fed in this country for decades.

 

[Tribal Outkast]

fukkin hilarious

 

[IIVI]

Republicans made Biden/Democrats the face of Anti-TikTok.

Biden was up there smiling they were going to bring down TikTok.

Republicans totally aced them on that play.

 

[bnew]

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/oracle-silver-lake-consortium-control-80-stake-tiktok-us-wsj-reports-2025-09-16/

Oracle, Silver Lake consortium to control 80% stake in TikTok in US, WSJ reports​

By Reuters

September 16, 20254:00 PM EDTUpdated 15 hours ago

Item 1 of 2 Oracle logo is seen in this illustration taken September 9, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

[1/2]Oracle logo is seen in this illustration taken September 9, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

, opens new tab

Sept 16 (Reuters) - TikTok's U.S. operations would be controlled by an investor consortium including Oracle (ORCL.N)

, opens new tab, Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz, under a framework the U.S. and China are finalizing, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

A new company will be created to operate TikTok, with U.S. investors holding a roughly 80% stake and Chinese shareholders owning the rest, the report said. The company would also have an American-dominated board, with one member designated by the U.S. government.

The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.

Current users of the app will be asked to shift to a new app, which TikTok has built and is testing, the Post reported.

Reuters had reported in July that TikTok was preparing to launch a standalone app for U.S. users, which was expected to operate on a separate algorithm and data system from its global app.

Oracle would handle user data at its facilities in Texas, WSJ said, adding that while the U.S. and China are still working on the details of the potential deal, the terms may change.

TikTok, Oracle, Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz — also known as a16z — did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comments.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order delaying the enforcement of a 2024 law requiring the divestiture of Chinese ownership of TikTok until December 16.

Earlier in the day, he also announced an agreement between the U.S. and China to keep TikTok operating in the United States.

 

[King Poetic]

One person from the us government on the board

Motherfukkers will be eating good and at the same time monitor all tik tok users especially if u making any anti government comments

 

[SunZoo]

They gonna buy the coli next. They called us cacs, folks, cacs!

This timeline is hilarious in the worst of ways.

 

[bnew]

Trump signs executive order facilitating TikTok deal

The president signed the order Thursday after the administration had signaled that a deal was being finalized between Chinese and U.S. officials.

www.nbcnews.com

Trump signs executive order facilitating TikTok deal​

The president signed the order Thursday after the administration had signaled that a deal was being finalized between Chinese and U.S. officials.

Trump signs executive order paving the way for TikTok deal with China

05:21

Get more news

on

Sept. 25, 2025, 4:42 PM EDT / Updated Sept. 26, 2025, 4:11 AM EDT

By Angela Yang and Savannah Sellers

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday paving the way for a TikTok deal that could transfer majority ownership of the app to Americans.

While it appears the terms of the agreement are set, it is likely to take more time for the sides to close the deal as they hammer out finer legal and financial points.

“This is going to be American-operated all the way,” Trump said during the signing on Thursday. “I have great respect for President Xi, and I very much appreciate that he approved the deal, because to get it done properly, we really needed the support of China and the approval of China.”

Under the new framework agreement outlined in the executive order, TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance and its affiliates will own less than 20% of TikTok, while “certain investors” will retain 80% ownership. The plan would achieve the “qualified divestiture” required for TikTok to comply with federal law, according to the order.

It is not clear who all the parties to the deal are, but Trump said during the signing that Oracle and its co-founder Larry Ellison will play a “big” role. He added that tech entrepreneur Michael Dell and media mogul Rupert Murdoch will also be involved. Vice President JD Vance said more information will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Trump told reporters last week that the investors are “all very well-known people, very famous people actually, financially.”

The deal will allow for these American investors to control the app’s algorithm, Vance said. TikTok’s unique algorithm, which curates the type of content users see in their feeds, made the app’s For You page famous for its engagement-driven personalization that democratized virality and transformed online culture.

When asked whether he wants to see the new algorithm suggest more MAGA content, Trump told reporters, “I always like MAGA-related.”

“If I could make it 100% MAGA, I would, but it’s not going to work out that way, unfortunately,” Trump said. “No, everyone’s going to be treated fairly. Every group, every philosophy, every policy will be treated very fairly.”

TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the deal.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Friday that the Chinese government “respects the wishes of the company and is pleased to see the company conduct commercial negotiations and reach a solution that complies with Chinese laws and regulations and balances interests, all while adhering to market rules.”

“China hopes the U.S. will provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies investing in the United States,” ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular news briefing in Beijing.

The deal comes after years of criticism of the social media platform from politicians and security professionals, who have expressed concern over its Chinese ownership. In May, TikTok was fined €530 million by Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner for concerns over how it protects user information.

The app’s future had been in limbo ever since President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan bill last year that required ByteDance to sell the platform to an American company or face a ban, citing national security concerns. The law, which was also upheld by the Supreme Court, was supposed to take effect on Jan. 19 this year.

But aside from the app briefly going dark in the hours before Trump’s second inauguration, TikTok has continued to operate in the U.S. as Trump used executive orders to repeatedly delay the ban. Earlier this month, the president extended TikTok’s shutdown deadline for a fourth time, giving it until Dec. 16 to complete the framework of a long-awaited deal between Washington and Beijing.

Thursday’s executive order extended the ban’s non-enforcement to 120 days, or until Jan. 23, in order to give the divestiture time to be completed.

In past years, efforts to ban TikTok, which is estimated to have around 170 million active users in the U.S., had come from both sides of the political aisle. U.S. officials questioned the company over whether ByteDance could share user data with the Chinese government, as well as whether China could use the platform’s algorithm to manipulate public opinion.

But by the time the ban was slated to finally kick in, many of those same lawmakers had changed their tune following popular discontent over the looming loss of the app. In January, the Biden White House said that it would pass responsibility for enforcing the ban to Trump’s incoming administration, and congressional leaders who had once championed the ban seemed to shy away from enforcement as well.

Trump himself has also flip-flopped on his attitude toward TikTok. In 2020, during his first term, he signed an executive order to effectively ban the app. (The order was later halted in court.) By 2024, however, he openly voiced his opposition to a TikTok ban and joined the platform himself in an attempt to reach young voters, even publishing a video promising to “save TikTok.”

On Thursday, Trump also acknowledged TikTok’s importance to the many businesses that rely on the app to advertise their products and services. He said part of why he “wanted to do the deal so badly” was because of the influx of calls he received from small business owners over the last six months.

“Small businesses have become very successful because of TikTok, and we didn’t think of that,” he said.