The White House opens a TikTok account despite the social network’s legal issues

Miami.- The White House inaugurated this Tuesday an official account on TikTok, despite the legal uncertainty surrounding the Chinese social network in the United States, where President Donald Trump warned that the platform will stop operating on September 17 if an agreement that guarantees its continuity is not reached. In its first four hours online, the official profile accumulated 38,000 followers and published two videos: one with images of Trump in public events and interactions with citizens, and another showing the presidential headquarters. “United States, we’re back! What’s new TikTok?”, says the first clip, accompanied by the voice of the president stating: “Every day I wake up determined to deliver a better life to the people throughout this nation. I am their voice”. The profile description, which reads “Welcome to the golden age of the United States”, seeks to reinforce Trump’s political message in a space dominated by a young audience, key to his electoral strategy. The launch occurs in a complex context. In July, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick reiterated that TikTok “will go dark” if an agreement with the Chinese authorities is not reached by September 17 to create a new operating company separate from the parent company ByteDance, for national security reasons.

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During Joe Biden’s administration (2021-2025), Congress passed a law that forced TikTok to separate from ByteDance and find an investor from an allied country before January 20, the date Trump took over the presidency again. Due to the lack of an agreement, the application suspended its service for a few hours until the Republican signed an executive order granting a 75-day extension. Subsequently, Trump extended the deadline twice, first until June 19 and then, on the same day, until September 17, in what he called a final opportunity to guarantee the social network’s permanence on US territory. The opening of the official account reinforces the importance that the White House gives to TikTok as a channel of direct communication with young voters, even as the threat of an imminent ban persists.