The White House officially launched a TikTok account (@whitehouse) on Tuesday, seeking to leverage the platform’s 150 million U.S. users to amplify President Donald Trump’s messages and policy agenda.
The debut comes despite longstanding national security concerns over TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance. Intelligence assessments have previously warned the app could be vulnerable to foreign influence, but the administration views the platform as a powerful tool for direct engagement, particularly with younger Americans.
The first video, set to dramatic music, featured clips of Trump meeting supporters and concluded with him declaring, “I am your voice.” Within an hour, it had drawn more than 7,500 likes and over 500 comments.
The launch also comes just weeks before a key deadline: Trump’s executive order delaying enforcement of a U.S. TikTok ban expires on September 17, 2025. Under federal law, ByteDance must divest its U.S. operations or face removal from app stores, though Trump has already issued three extensions.
Trump has praised TikTok for helping him connect with younger voters and credited the platform as a factor in his 2024 election victory over Kamala Harris. The pause in enforcement allows ByteDance to continue operating and expanding in the U.S. while divestment negotiations continue.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended 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.”
