Donald Trump has joined TikTok. He once tried to ban it while in office. He posted from a UFC fight just two days after being found guilty on felony charges.
“It’s an honor,” Trump said in his TikTok video. The footage shows him waving to fans and posing for selfies. The video ends with Trump saying: “That was a good walk-on, right?”
By Sunday morning, Trump had over 1.1 million followers. The post had more than 1 million likes and 24 million views.
@realdonaldtrump Launching my TikTok at @UFC ♬ original sound - President Donald J Trump
“We will leave no front undefended,” said Trump spokesman Steven Cheung. He mentioned this is part of reaching a younger audience. “There’s no place better than a UFC event to launch President Trump’s TikTok,” he added.
Democratic President Joe Biden signed a law in April that could ban TikTok. His campaign joined TikTok in February, working with influencers.
Trump received an enthusiastic welcome at the fight. The crowd chanted, “We love Trump!” and insulted Biden.
This was Trump’s first public outing since his guilty verdict. He faces sentencing on July 11. Trump maintains he did nothing wrong and plans to appeal.
Trump has used UFC fights to project strength. He aims to appeal to voters who may not follow traditional news. It’s also part of a broader effort to connect with young and minority voters.
TikTok, owned by ByteDance, has about 170 million U.S. users. Most users are young, a hard-to-reach demographic for campaigns.
As president, Trump tried to ban TikTok via executive order. Courts blocked the action after TikTok sued. The FBI and FCC have warned about data sharing with China. TikTok denies sharing data with China.
The platform was debated during the 2024 GOP primary. Many candidates called for a ban, including Mike Pence. Trump said TikTok posed a security risk but opposed a ban to avoid helping Facebook.
“There are a lot of people on TikTok that love it,” Trump told CNBC. He said banning it would upset many young users.
The legislation Biden signed gives ByteDance nine months to sell the company. If not sold, TikTok will be banned. Biden barred the app on most government devices in December 2022.
Biden’s campaign uses TikTok, joining in February. They argue it’s essential to reach voters on all platforms. Biden’s TikTok account has more than 330,000 followers and 4.5 million likes.
Trump appeared at Saturday’s fight after an interview with Fox News. He said he was “OK” with potential jail time or house arrest. “I’m not sure the public would stand for it,” he said. “At a certain point, there’s a breaking point.”
Trump maintained his innocence, saying he “did absolutely nothing wrong.” He was asked about his wife, Melania Trump’s reaction.
“She’s fine. But I think it’s very hard for her,” he said. She did not appear with Trump in court during his trial.