Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has made a surprising move by joining TikTok, the popular short video social media platform owned by China-based tech giant ByteDance. This decision comes after Trump had previously tried to ban TikTok during his presidency, leading to speculation ahead of the U.S. elections in November.
Trump posted a launch video on his TikTok account on Saturday night, showing him greeting fans at an Ultimate Fighting Championship fight in Newark, New Jersey. His account, President Donald J. Trump (@realdonaldtrump), quickly gained over 450,000 followers by 0800 GMT.
ByteDance is currently challenging a US law that demands TikTok be sold by next January or face a ban, on the grounds of national security. However, TikTok has maintained that it does not share US user data with the Chinese government and has implemented measures to protect user privacy.
In the past, Trump’s efforts to ban TikTok were blocked by the courts, citing national security concerns. President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign also joined TikTok in February, showing the platform’s growing significance in the political landscape.
Published 02 June 2024, 09:09 IST