President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that he is the most-followed person on TikTok, surpassing Taylor Swift, and dismissed allegations that the platform is influenced by China.
He cited a newly released list but offered no evidence to support the ranking. Trump argued that his account promotes pro‑American, anti‑communist content, implying that Chinese influence would contradict his messaging.
Data shows that Khabane Lane, Charli D’Amelio, and MrBeast are the top three followed accounts on TikTok. Trump currently has 16.6 million followers, while the top user has 162.3 million.
Taylor Swift is not in the top 10, with 33.3 million followers, further contradicting Trump’s claim.
TikTok has been a focal point of national security concerns because its parent company is owned by ByteDance. Congress passed a bill in 2024 to ban the app unless ByteDance sold it to a non‑Chinese buyer.
The ban was avoided when TikTok entered a $14 billion joint venture with Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX, creating an American entity to manage U.S. operations and protect user data.
Trump signed an executive order in September approving the divestment plan after prolonged negotiations and extended the ban period by 75 days to allow continued use of the app.
Trump emphasized that American companies now control TikTok and that this arrangement benefits the United States, while maintaining his claim of being the platform’s top user.
