Key Takeaways
- Direct to the People: The White House is bypassing media filters, using TikTok to showcase Trump’s message of American revival directly to millions of users.
- Expanding Influence: Trump and even granddaughter Kai have built massive TikTok followings, proving the platform’s power to reach younger voters.
- America First Tech Policy: While Trump embraces TikTok’s reach, his administration is still pressing ByteDance to divest—ensuring American interests, not Beijing, control the platform’s future.
From Pennsylvania Avenue straight onto your For You Page—the Trump White House is officially on TikTok. On Tuesday, the verified account @whitehouse launched with its bio proudly declaring: “Welcome to the Golden Age of America.” Within an hour, thousands of followers piled on.
The debut post? None other than President Trump himself, rally footage rolling as his voice rang out: “Every day, I wake up determined to deliver a better life for the people all across this nation. I am your voice.” The caption read: “America we are BACK! What’s up TikTok?”
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt explained the move: “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.” She added that Trump’s message “dominated TikTok during his presidential campaign” and that the administration plans to build on that momentum.
Trump himself isn’t new to the platform—he launched @realdonaldtrump in June 2024, pulling in millions of views and likes. Even his granddaughter, Kai Trump, has turned into a TikTok sensation with more than 3 million followers sharing behind-the-scenes White House moments.
The launch comes as ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, faces a September 17 deadline to divest U.S. operations under federal law. Trump has repeatedly extended enforcement deadlines to give negotiations a chance, reminding Americans of his priority: keep the app’s massive reach while ensuring it serves American—not Chinese—interests.
This is vintage Trump: harnessing technology, bypassing gatekeepers, and speaking directly to the people.