Trump gains millions of followers after joining TikTok in surprise reversal

Palm Beach, Florida - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has officially joined TikTok, even though he has tried to ban the platform in the past.

Presidential candidate Donald Trump joined TikTok on Saturday, though he has waged efforts in the past to ban the Chinese-owned platform.
Presidential candidate Donald Trump joined TikTok on Saturday, though he has waged efforts in the past to ban the Chinese-owned platform.  © Collage: IMAGO / CFOTO & Jim WATSON / AFP

On Saturday, the former president celebrated his debut on the popular social media platform with a video that featured UFC President Dana White announcing, "The president is now on TikTok."

The video continued on with a montage of clips of Trump attending a UFC fight in New Jersey that night,

In only 12 hours after it was shared, the post has been viewed over 33 million times, and Trump's account has garnered nearly two million followers.

Michael Moore makes bold prediction about Trump's fate on Election Day
Donald Trump Michael Moore makes bold prediction about Trump's fate on Election Day

The move comes only days after the jury in his hush money criminal trial in New York found him guilty of all 34 felony charges, making him the first former president in US history to ever be convicted of a crime.

Trump's decision to join TikTok has been met with scrutiny, as he has been critical of the platform in the past.

In 2020, the then-president issued an executive order to ban the platform in an effort to "protect our national security," but it was later blocked by a court.

Back in March, Trump publicly reversed his stance on the issue, arguing on Truth Social that banning TikTok would only empower Facebook, which is the "true enemy of the people."

Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO / CFOTO & Jim WATSON / AFP

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