The White House in the United States launched an official TikTok account seven months after President Donald Trump took office and embarked on an ambitious push, but the effort appears to be mired in confusion both inside and out. Inside the White House, clashes over the direction of the content continue, and most videos are drawing anti-Trump comments, delivering results below expectations.
According to the Washington Post (WP) on the 17th (local time), the White House opened an official TikTok account on the 20th of last month, seven months into Trump's second term. The first video ran 27 seconds and showed President Trump waving to the public or delivering remarks, with a caption that read, "America we are BACK!"
As of the 18th, this account has 105 videos posted, about 1 million followers, and 5.1 million likes.
Earlier, President Trump argued for a TikTok ban during his first term, but he achieved significant results last year during the campaign by using a TikTok campaign account. At the time, Trump opened the account five months before the presidential election and posted a total of 58 videos, and content made in collaboration with influencers and rappers, in particular, racked up tens of millions of views, becoming a major success. The opening of the official account this time is also seen as aimed at shoring up approval ratings, among other reasons.
However, this account is unlikely to generate as much impact as the past campaign account. According to officials cited by the WP, internal conflicts have continued within the White House over the account's strategy, managers, and content direction, and there have also been clashes over whether to incorporate TikTok's signature "youthful vibe."
In the end, after discussions, it was decided that the official account's content would be less experimental and take a more conservative format. Because of this, however, even the most-viewed video on the account has performed at under 2% of the first video on the campaign account, drawing little buzz.
The operation of the White House's TikTok account has also prompted concerns about conflicts of interest. Earlier, the U.S. Congress passed a TikTok ban bill amid concerns that the app could be misused for data theft or hacking via Chinese parent company ByteDance, but President Trump signed an executive order postponing implementation until Dec. 16 to allow TikTok use in the United States. According to an internal official, the Trump administration has regularly contacted TikTok representatives to operate the White House's official account, and conflicts of interest may have arisen in the course of these unofficial meetings.
Recently, public opinion in the United States has also turned against President Trump, and the account is being engulfed by an even colder reception. A Pew Research Center survey found that Trump's job approval fell by 8 percentage points between February and August, with support among voters ages 18 to under 35 dropping 23 percentage points over the same period.
In response, Democratic politicians including California Gov. Gavin Newsom are targeting President Trump's TikTok account with mocking memes, and negative reactions dominate, with comments such as "Release the Epstein files" drawing high numbers of likes in the comment section.
Assessments of the TikTok account's one-month performance are split. The administration points to the acquisition of 1 million followers, arguing that because most of them are newly attracted, the account is showing considerable growth. White House aide Liz Houston said, "About 30% of our followers are new and did not follow the Trump camp account," adding, "We are leading the internet."
Still, experts are offering a skeptical analysis that most videos currently have low view counts and that an official account is harder to draw interest than a personal one. Katie Harbath, a former Facebook executive, said, "Institutional leader accounts typically struggle to drive engagement," adding, "It seems unlikely the White House account will achieve the same impact as a campaign account."