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Trump joins TikTok and calls it 含羞草研究社榓n honor,含羞草研究社 despite once pushing for its ban

Trump tried to ban the app while president but had the move blocked by the courts
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Former President Donald Trump, right, talks to Dana White while attending the UFC 302 mixed martial arts event Saturday, June 1, 2024, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Donald Trump has joined the popular video-sharing app TikTok, a platform he once tried to ban while in the White House, and posted from a UFC fight two days after he became the first former president and presumptive major party nominee in U.S. history to be found guilty on felony charges.

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 an honor,含羞草研究社 Trump said in the TikTok video, which features footage of him waving to fans and posing for selfies at the Ultimate Fighting Championship fight in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday night. The video ends with Trump telling the camera: 含羞草研究社淭hat was a good walk-on, right?含羞草研究社

By Sunday morning, Trump had amassed more than 1.1 million followers on the platform and the post had garnered more than 1 million likes and 24 million views.

含羞草研究社淲e will leave no front undefended and this represents the continued outreach to a younger audience consuming pro-Trump and anti-Biden content,含羞草研究社 Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement about the campaign含羞草研究社檚 decision to join the platform.

含羞草研究社淭here含羞草研究社檚 no place better than a UFC event to launch President Trump含羞草研究社檚 Tik Tok, where he received a hero含羞草研究社檚 welcome and thousands of fans cheered him on,含羞草研究社 he added.

Democratic President Joe Biden signed legislation in April that could ban TikTok in the U.S., even as his campaign joined in February and has tried to work with influencers.

Trump received an enthusiastic welcome at the fight at Newark含羞草研究社檚 Prudential Center, where the crowd broke into chants of 含羞草研究社淲e love Trump!含羞草研究社 and another insulting Biden with an expletive.

It was Trump含羞草研究社檚 first public outing since a jury in New York found him guilty Thursday on 34 charges of falsifying business records as part of a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election by covering up hush money payments made to a porn actor who claimed she and Trump had sex. Trump has maintained he did nothing wrong and plans to appeal the verdict. He will be sentenced on July 11.

Throughout his campaign, Trump has used appearances at UFC fights to project an image of strength and to try to appeal to potential voters who may not closely follow politics or engage with traditional news sources. It含羞草研究社檚 also part of a broader effort to connect with young people and minority voters, particularly Latino and Black men.

TikTok, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, is another opportunity to reach those potential voters. The platform has about 170 million users in the U.S., most of whom skew younger 含羞草研究社 a demographic that is especially hard for campaigns to reach because they shun television.

As president, Trump tried to ban TikTok through an executive order that said 含羞草研究社渢he spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned含羞草研究社 by Chinese companies was a national security threat. The courts blocked the action after TikTok sued.

Both the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission have warned that ByteDance could share user data such as browsing history, location and biometric identifiers with China含羞草研究社檚 government. TikTok said it has never done that and would not, if asked.

The platform was a hot topic of debate during the 2024 GOP primary campaign, with most candidates shunning its use. Many, including former Vice President Mike Pence, called for TikTok to be banned in the U.S. due to its connections with China

Trump said earlier this year that he still believes TikTok posed a national security risk, but was opposed to banning it because that would help its rival, Facebook, which he continues to criticize over his 2020 election loss to Biden.

含羞草研究社淔rankly, there are a lot of people on TikTok that love it. There are a lot of young kids on TikTok who will go crazy without it,含羞草研究社 Trump told CNBC.

The legislation signed by Biden gives ByteDance nine months to sell the company, with a possible additional three months if a sale is in progress. If it doesn含羞草研究社檛, TikTok will be banned. Biden barred the app on most government devices in December 2022.

His reelection campaign nonetheless uses the app, which it joined the night of the Super Bowl in February. Aides argue that in an increasingly fragmented modern media environment, the campaign must get its message out to voters via as many platforms as possible, including TikTok as well as WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Biden含羞草研究社檚 含羞草研究社渂idenhq含羞草研究社 account currently has more than 330,000 followers and 4.5 million likes.

Trump含羞草研究社檚 appearance at Saturday含羞草研究社檚 fight came after he had sat down for an interview with Fox News Channel含羞草研究社檚 含羞草研究社淔ox & Friends Weekend含羞草研究社 that aired Sunday.

In that appearance, Trump said he was 含羞草研究社淥K含羞草研究社 with the prospect of potential jail time or house arrest, saying it was 含羞草研究社渢he way it is.含羞草研究社櫤卟菅芯可鐧含羞草研究社

But he again suggested the public might not accept such a punishment for a former president now running to return to the White House.

含羞草研究社淚 don含羞草研究社檛 know that the public would stand it, you know. I含羞草研究社檓 not sure the public would stand for it,含羞草研究社 he said. 含羞草研究社淚 think it would be tough for the public to take. You know, at a certain point there含羞草研究社檚 a breaking point.含羞草研究社

Trump, as he has throughout the trial, maintained his innocence, saying he 含羞草研究社渄id absolutely nothing wrong.含羞草研究社

He was asked how his wife, former first lady Melania Trump, has taken the news.

含羞草研究社淪he含羞草研究社檚 fine. But I think it含羞草研究社檚 very hard for her. I mean, she含羞草研究社檚 fine. But, you know, she has to read all this crap,含羞草研究社 he said.

She did not appear with Trump in court at any point during his seven-week trial.

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Colvin reported from Annapolis, Maryland, Weissert from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and Kinnard from Chapin, South Carolina.

Jill Colvin, Will Weissert And Meg Kinnard, The Associated Press

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