President Donald Trump joined TikTok as a Republican presidential candidate a year ago, quickly gaining millions of followers, even though he tried to ban it in his first presidency.
His debut video was taken alongside UFC president Dana White at a fight in Newark, New Jersey.
“The President, is now on TikTok,” White said. “It’s my honor,” Trump responded.
The app is facing an upcoming deadline for a ban after President Joe Biden signed a law forcing the Chinese parent company ByteDance to spinoff the app. Trump had unsuccessfully tried to ban TikTok through executive action in 2020. But now he’s trying to save it by facilitating a buyout deal.
“I’d like to see it done,” Trump previously said about the divestment, adding that he has a “little sweet spot” in his heart for TikTok, which he claims helped him win votes during the 2024 presidential election. “It’ll be protected. It’ll be very strongly protected. But if it needs an extension, I would be willing to give it an extension.”
More: No, Trump did not approve $1,200 for stay-at-home moms, despite viral TikTok videos
Is TikTok getting banned? Next deadline is June 19
If ByteDance does not divest TikTok by June 19, it could be banned in the U.S. again. However, Trump has stated that if a sale is not finalized in time, he will extend the deadline.
Under federal legislation that put the ban in place, the president can implement a 90-day extension on the deadline to sell. But Trump didn’t take this route in January or April, instead, he signed executive orders delaying the ban by 75 days. If Trump wishes to sign another executive order ahead of the June 19 deadline, he can.
Who might buy TikTok?
Ahead of the April 5 deadline, several buyers expressed interest in striking a deal to buy the app. A White House official previously told USA TODAY that a deal to spin off the platform to be operated in the U.S. had been reached, but it was derailed when tariffs were imposed on Chinese imports.
China and the U.S. were in an escalating trade war until May 11, when they both walked back the steep tariffs for 90 days while they ironed out a trade deal. But the talks could be stalled as Trump accused China of violating the agreement in a May 30 Truth Social post.
The White House did not comment on the latest update about the deal.
Who put their hat in to buy TikTok? Amazon, Blackstone, OnlyFans founder among the bidders
Why might TikTok get banned? How we got here
In January, TikTok went dark for a little more than 12 hours in the U.S. after the app was effectively banned under federal legislation. U.S. internet hosting services made TikTok unavailable to access, and app stores removed the app for download.
This federal legislation was signed by Biden in 2024. The legislation gave ByteDance until Jan. 19, 2025 to divest TikTok or face a ban. Some politicians see TikTok as a national security threat, expressing concern that ByteDance may be sharing U.S. user data with the Chinese government. ByteDance has denied these claims, which remain unsubstantiated.
During the short-lived January shutdown, Trump promised internet hosting services and app stores that they could restore TikTok and not face legal penalties. Under the federal legislation, companies could be fined $5,000 per user they help access TikTok. For companies like Google and Apple, this could mean a $5,000 fine for each user who downloads or updates TikTok.
Internet hosting services like Oracle didn’t waste time rebooting the app, but it wasn’t until Feb. 13 that TikTok became available again in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Trump also tried to ban TikTok in his first presidency
Trump cited national security concerns when he signed an executive order in 2020 ordering ByteDance to sell or spin off its U.S. assets within 90 days.
The executive order was challenged in court and never came to fruition, but Congress has overwhelmingly passed a law under the Biden administration that forced ByteDance to sell its U.S. operations within a year or else face a nationwide ban.
Despite Trump’s own efforts to ban the app, he has criticized Biden for doing the same, posting on Truth Social, “just so everyone knows, especially the young people, Crooked Joe Biden is responsible for banning TikTok.”
See Trump’s most popular TikToks:
Trump’s most-viewed TikToks are his first few, including a staged face-off with Logan Paul and a tribute to the man who died at Trump’s first assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump has not posted any TikToks since Election Day.
Here are some of his other most popular videos on his TikToks:
Contributing: Sarah Wire, Zac Anderson, Francesca Chambers, Sudiksha Kochi, Riley Beggin and Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: TikTok Trump ban? He joined a year ago and now wants to save it
