White House launches official TikTok account with Trump taking center stage in first video

WASHINGTON, DC: From Pennsylvania Avenue to your For You page, the White House is now officially on TikTok.

The verified account, @whitehouse, went live Tuesday afternoon, August 19, and racked up thousands of followers in less than an hour. “Welcome to the Golden Age of America," its bio read.

President Donald Trump was front and center in the very first post. “America, we are back! What’s up, TikTok?” he declared.

Team Trump makes it official

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt spelled out the strategy.

“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 said. “President Trump’s message dominated TikTok during his presidential campaign, and we’re excited to build upon those successes and communicate in a way no other administration has before.”

The debut video, set against roaring rally crowds and highlight-reel footage, drives the point home.

“Every day, I wake up determined to deliver a better life for the people all across this nation. I am your voice,” Trump declares in a voice-over as the crowd erupts.

The White House even announced on X, confirming it had officially joined TikTok’s 170-million–strong US playground.

Donald Trump’s TikTok U-turn

While the White House is new to the app, Trump himself isn’t. He launched his account, @realdonaldtrump, in June last year in a play to hook young voters. His very first post went viral, drawing millions of likes and views.

The Trump family is practically a TikTok dynasty at this point. His granddaughter, Kai Trump, blew up on the app after her cameo at the 2024 Republican National Convention. Her behind-the-scenes White House clips have pulled in more than 3 million followers.

Meanwhile, it's worth noting that it was Trump who first tried to kill the app back in 2020, signing an executive order to ban it unless sold to an American buyer. That move was blocked by a federal judge and never happened.

Congress passed a law in early 2024 forcing TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell or face the boot.

Deadline extensions

TikTok’s survival in the US has been on a countdown clock ever since. On Day One in office, Trump signed an order directing the Justice Department to hold off enforcing a ban for 75 days. He followed that up with another 75-day extension in April and a 90-day extension in June.

The most recent extension means ByteDance has until September 17 to unload its US operations. However, another extension could still buy them time.

ByteDance said in April it was in talks with the US government, but any deal would still need approval under Chinese law.

Trump originally spearheaded the ban push, arguing TikTok was a national security threat. Congress later voted overwhelmingly to back the move, and the Supreme Court ultimately upheld the ban. The original deadline was January 19.

But Trump was singing a different tune by the 2024 campaign trail. After racking up nearly 15 million followers on TikTok — and even inviting TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to Mar-a-Lago and later his inauguration — Trump flipped. Now, he’s appearing to defend the platform after it helped him win over young voters in November.

Social media scoreboard

Trump’s reach across platforms is nothing short of massive. His official account on X (formerly Twitter) has 108.5 million followers. He boasts 10.6 million on his platform, Truth Social.

The White House’s other official accounts don’t come close, clocking in at 2.4 million followers on X and 9.3 million on Instagram.