Trump Boasts About TikTok Views Amid Criticism of D.C. Projects
Quick Look
- Donald Trump claimed to be the most followed world leader on TikTok, citing billions of views on videos related to his D.C. beautification projects.
- However, critics point out the content of these views is unspecified and comes amid scrutiny of projects like the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool's algae-filled, peeling paint.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
President Trump claims significant TikTok viewership, linking it to his D.C. beautification projects, while the platform faces potential U.S. ban due to national security concerns.
President Donald Trump bragged about the four billion views on TikTok videos about his beautification projects in Washington, D.C. — but it could have just been people checking out what’s gone wrong.
“You know who the number one person on TikTok is by far? Trump,” the president told reporters at the White House on Monday. “Taylor Swift was number 11.”
A day before, the president shared a “Trump on TikTok” graphic on Truth Social that he said was from the social media platform’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew.
The graphic states that Trump is the “most followed and watched world leader on TikTok,” without including a ranking of other world leaders, let alone celebrities like Swift.
There have been 425 billion views of “#Trump TikToks” overall and four billion views across all “Trump-related DC beautification TikToks” since January, according to the graphic.
But the graphic doesn’t specify what type of content — critical, supportive or neutral — generated those views, as MeidasTouch News pointed out.
One of Trump’s latest D.C. projects, the multi-million-dollar renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, has faced intense scrutiny after it turned green from algae, while its new American flag blue paint — as the president called it — chipped away days after it was completed.
One TikTok video that amassed 3.5 million views and more than 281 likes showed the blue paint peeling at the bottom of the basin, filled with green water.
“It was a pretty blue, if you minus all the algae green,” the person filming the video said. “But it’s peeling up already.”
Trump had blamed vandals for the problems with the newly renovated reflecting pool. But government documents obtained by The New York Times suggested the deterioration of the basin was already underway.
The president joined TikTok during the 2024 election cycle and has amassed 16.7 million followers and 121.8 million likes on his account alone. Swift, who married Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce on Friday, has 33.5 million followers and 274.6 million likes on the platform.
On Monday, Trump brushed off concerns that TikTok is a national security problem.
“We have to be careful because China is a great competitor,” Trump cautioned, but he added, “I’m No. 1 on TikTok. I think it helped me win the election in a landslide.”
Before former President Joe Biden left office, he signed a bill that gave ByteDance nine months to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations to an American-approved company or face a nationwide ban.
Once Trump returned to office, he kept extending the deadline for TikTok to make a decision.
Open Questions
- What is the exact nature of the TikTok views Trump claims?
- Will TikTok be forced to sell its U.S. operations?
- What is the long-term impact of D.C. project criticisms on Trump's image?
