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White House Joins TikTok With Official Account as Sept. 17 Sale-or-Ban Deadline Nears

A sale remains uncertain because proposals need Beijing’s signoff.

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In this photo illustration, the logo of TikTok is displayed on a smartphone screen on March 27, 2025, in Suqian, Jiangsu Province of China.
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White House joins TikTok while Trump keeps the app in the US.

Overview

  • The verified @whitehouse account posted a 27‑second debut video featuring President Trump’s 2016 “I am your voice” audio with the caption, “America we are BACK! What’s up TikTok?”.
  • Congress passed a law requiring ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. operations or face a ban, and President Trump has delayed enforcement three times, with the current deadline set for September 17.
  • The account drew thousands of followers within hours of launching, reflecting the administration’s intent to reach TikTok’s large U.S. audience.
  • U.S. officials cite national security risks tied to Chinese ownership and possible data access or content manipulation, which TikTok denies.
  • Talks with potential U.S. buyers, including Oracle, Perplexity AI, and a McCourt–Ohanian‑led group, remain unresolved, and questions persist over whether any deal would include TikTok’s recommendation algorithm.