Scoop: Trump's Cabinet members are joining TikTok after DOJ shift
Axios
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Most of President https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_blank">Trump's Cabinet will launch TikTok accounts Tuesday, a move that comes days after the Justice Department https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/07/20/doj-its-safe-fed-employees-download-tiktok-work-phones/" target="_blank">told federal employees it was safe to use the app because of its sale to a U.S.-approved owner.
Why it matters: The move is a striking shift from Trump's first term, when his administration argued that TikTok posed a national security threat because of its ownership by China's ByteDance.
- By joining the app themselves, Cabinet officials are effectively signaling that TikTok is now an acceptable venue for government messaging.
The background: The 2022 No TikTok on Government Devices Act said TikTok couldn't be used on government-issued phones.
- But Trump's DOJ now says that law is no longer applicable, given the change in the company's ownership to a U.S.-controlled venture earlier year.
Zoom in: Trump's administration now views TikTok as a powerful tool for reaching young voters.
- Trump himself has been on the app since 2024, and some of his posts — including one documenting his appearance at a UFC event — have gotten hundreds of millions of views.