Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has created an account on TikTok, the short video social media platform owned by China-based tech company ByteDance, ahead of the U.S. elections in November.
He posted a launch video on Saturday night, showing him greeting fans at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event in Newark, New Jersey. His account, named President Donald J. Trump and tagged @realdonaldtrump, quickly gained over 450,000 followers by 0800 GMT.
ByteDance is currently challenging a U.S. law that requires it to sell TikTok by next January or face a ban, citing national security concerns. Trump’s previous attempts to ban TikTok during his presidency were blocked by the courts.
While he has described TikTok as a national security threat, he also acknowledged that banning it could negatively impact young users and potentially strengthen competitors like Meta Platforms’ Facebook, which he has criticized.
President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign also joined TikTok in February.
