Despite the threat of a ban: White House launches Tiktok account

The first clip on the new White House page consists of clips of public appearances by the US President. In the background, he shouts: "I am your voice."

Because Tiktok is owned by the China-based Bytedance Group, there are concerns in the US that the Chinese government could obtain data on American users via Tiktok and use the app to manipulate public opinion in the country. Tiktok rejects this.

A law passed in the US last year stipulated that the app should be taken offline if the US business was not at least sold by January. However, Trump granted Tiktok a grace period of several months by decree and then extended it several times. The law only provided for a single 90-day extension in the event of promising sales negotiations. A deal on the sale of Tiktok, as promised by the White House, has not yet been reached.

Trump's U-turn in his second term of office

In his first term of office, Trump tried to force the sale of Tiktok by threatening to ban it, but failed in the US courts. Now, the law would provide a solid legal basis for a ban in the USA - but Trump now believes that the app was useful for him in the campaign for the White House, especially to reach young voters.