The White House Launches an Official Account on TikTok
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has launched an official White House account on the social media platform TikTok, in a move aimed at expanding the reach of its messages to an audience of over 170 million American users.
The new account was launched under the name @whitehouse on Tuesday evening, accompanied by an introductory video featuring Trump saying, "I am your voice," with a caption reading: "America, we are coming back! Hello TikTok!".
This step comes to reaffirm the administration's commitment to following unconventional communication strategies. In this regard, White House spokesperson Caroline Levitt said, "The Trump administration is committed to communicating with as many audiences as possible to convey the president's historic successes, and we aim to communicate in a way that no previous administration has followed."
The launch of the account aligns with Trump's personal fondness for the app, which he credits for gaining the support of young voters during the presidential election in November 2024, which ended with his defeat to his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris.
Despite this move, the official presence on the platform is not without controversy. Some members of Congress are raising renewed concerns that the data of American users could reach the Chinese government, especially in light of previous intelligence assessments that indicated the app's owners are linked to the Chinese government and could be used to influence Americans.
It is worth noting that a law passed in 2024 mandated TikTok to cease its operations in the United States by January 2025 if a deal to sell its American assets was not completed. However, Trump did not enforce the law after the start of his second term and decided to extend the deadline several times, which drew criticism from members of Congress regarding security concerns related to China.
Meanwhile, Trump is working to facilitate a deal to sell the app to American investors.
It is noted that Trump had used his personal account @realdonaldtrump on TikTok during his campaign, which has over 15 million followers. His administration also continues to rely heavily on its own platform, Truth Social, to disseminate its messages, alongside occasionally posting on the platform X.
