Former President Donald Trump announced his arrival on TikTok on Saturday, following reports that his Truth Social shares had plummeted by $314 million. On his verified account, @realDonaldTrump, he posted a video from a UFC event in Newark, New Jersey, where UFC President Dana White introduced him. Within hours, the video garnered over 2.7 million views and half a million likes.
Trump’s move to TikTok comes after the stock price of Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. (TMTG), which owns Truth Social, dropped significantly following his conviction on Thursday for criminal offenses. A New York jury found Trump guilty of 34 charges related to an illegal conspiracy to influence the 2016 election by paying hush money to a porn star.
Despite TikTok’s controversies, Trump’s entry onto the platform signals its importance as a messaging tool for the upcoming election. President Joe Biden’s campaign also joined TikTok recently, emphasizing the platform’s influence.
In April, President Biden signed legislation requiring TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app within a year or face a ban in the U.S. Critics argue ByteDance‘s ownership could give Beijing control over American user data, a claim ByteDance has repeatedly denied.
During his presidency, Trump attempted to ban TikTok over national security concerns but has since opposed the idea, blaming Biden for pushing the ban to benefit Facebook. “Crooked Joe Biden is responsible for banning TikTok,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in April, accusing Biden of aiding Facebook to fight the Republican Party.