Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump joined TikTok, owned by China-based internet firm ByteDance, which he tried to ban during his term.
The former US President posted a video Saturday night, showing Trump engaging supporters at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event in Newark, New Jersey. By 0800 GMT, TikTok account @realdonaldtrump had over 450,000 followers, according to Reuters.
ByteDance is contesting a US measure forcing it to sell TikTok by January or be banned. For national security reasons, the White House wants to terminate Chinese control of TikTok but does not want to ban the popular social media platform. TikTok has pledged to maintain user privacy.
In February, President Joe Biden's reelection campaign joined TikTok, which has pledged not to share US users' data with China.
Donald Trump Admits TikTok Risks but Considers Facebook as Enemy
Donald Trump attempted to ban TikTok in 2020 but was blocked by courts. Early this year, he noted that, though it poses national security risks, a TikTok ban may alienate young people and benefit Meta Platforms that blocked his account for two years after the Capitol incident in 2021, per Politico.
Trump noted in a CNBC interview that he considers Meta's Facebook and the media as "enemies of the people."
US President Joe Biden and most lawmakers share former President Donald Trump's TikTok worries. Biden recently signed legislation mandating TikTok's national ban. However, TikTok and its supporters claim that national security threats are fictitious. According to CNN, they highlight that no public evidence suggests the Chinese government acquired TikTok's US users' personal data.
Donald Trump Conviction a Hot Topic on TikTok
Trump's super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc., joined TikTok, possibly attracting his 7 million Truth Social followers.
On Capitol Hill, former Trump aides and friends have supported TikTok. Kellyanne Conway, Trump's former senior adviser, represents the Club for Growth, as does David Urban, a former campaign aide and ByteDance lobbyist.
Former Donald Trump campaign strategist Steve Bannon accused Jeff Yass, a wealthy businessman and Club for Growth supporter with a 15% interest in ByteDance, of influencing Trump. Bannon claimed Yass's impact on social media, but Trump said he did not discuss TikTok with Yass.
The New York Times reported that TikTok users discussed on livestream Donald Trump's conviction on all 34 criminal counts in a New York hush-money trial.
Thousands worldwide watched these streams late Thursday and Friday morning, hearing from armchair experts, political analysts, attorneys, and even Michael Cohen.
Cohen, the principal witness in the Trump trial, had been utilizing the platform to address the public throughout the trial.
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