6:38A handset shows the freshly created White House TikTok profile on August 20, 2025, moments after the presidential office opened an official channel on the popular platform.Cheng Xin/Getty Images
Campaign-style highlights, cinematic shots of the executive mansion, and unforgettable dance steps—President Donald Trump stealth-rejoined the viral video platform Tuesday night via three freshly posted montages uploaded to a brand-new @whitehouse handle.
“America, we’re BACK,” proclaimed the debut clip’s caption, while Trump declared “I am your voice” as the soundtrack played.
This isn’t Trump’s initial dance with the Chinese-owned service. Ahead of the 2024 showdown, he, Biden, and Harris all joined TikTok to court its stated U.S. base of 170 million viewers. His prior account, @realdonaldtrump—boasting 15 million-plus followers—went dormant after November’s Election Day. Every campaign was keenly aware that younger demographics gravitate to the app.
Yet since Trump’s first term, federal scrutiny has dogged TikTok. In August 2020 he issued an executive order demanding “forceful action” over national-security fears. A GOP-backed measure enacted in 2022 barred most public-sector workers from installing the app on official phones.
Washington worries range from the possible theft of Americans’ data to an algorithm accused of both manipulation and addiction.
During his first term Trump floated an outright prohibition; since reclaiming the White House he has twice deferred enforcement of a bipartisan 2024 statute requiring parent firm ByteDance to divest TikTok or face a shutdown in the United States.
Donald Trump greets press while meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office on August 18, 2025.Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
Bracing for that looming ban, TikTok vanished from domestic app stores the day before Trump’s second swearing-in and stayed offline for roughly 14 hours. When service returned, a splash screen thanked the President: “Due to President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the USA!”
CEO Shou Zi Chew numbered among the tech magnates Trump invited to witness the inauguration.
ByteDance floated numerous options short of selling—including heightened oversight and beefed-up safeguards. The latest stay expires September 17, yet Trump has pledged repeatedly to broker a respite, even hinting the sovereign-wealth vehicle unveiled in February might be tapped to keep TikTok alive domestically.
Even amid ongoing security debates, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told ABC News the app is set to be a potent megaphone for the commander-in-chief.
“The Trump administration is determined to broadcast the historic wins President Trump has delivered for Americans across every possible medium and audience,” Leavitt stated. “Trump’s messaging owned TikTok throughout the campaign, and we’re eager to deepen that momentum, reaching citizens in ways no previous administration has managed.”
Footage of Leavitt herself also debuted on the White House channel.
By Wednesday afternoon the account had surpassed 140,000 subscribers—still trailing Trump’s 10 million on Truth Social and the 108 million followers on his still-active yet sporadic X profile.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
