US President Donald Trump’s registration on TikTok competitor Triller, the short-video app backed by Hollywood celebrities in the wake of a TikTok backlash could be a ploy to please US media industry as the presidential election draws near, Chinese observers say.
Trump registered a verified account on Triller and posted three videos, with the first encouraging people to follow the account, saying “I’m a professional at technology,” and “nobody can do it like me.”
The other two videos were a clip of him making a short speech in which he alleged the Democrats’ nominee “Joe Biden has no clue,” and another clip mocking Biden.
The verified account was created Saturday, according to local media outlets. On Friday, Trump ordered ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, to sell its US operations and assets within 90 days, citing so-called national security concerns.
Trailing behind in opinion polls to his Democrat rival Biden, Trump may just want to take the opportunity to assault TikTok, and meanwhile “endorse” its replacement Triller and expand its reach to please Hollywood influencers, Shun Yu, an independent internet observer, told the Global Times Monday.
Triller’s founder and CEO Mike Lu admitted the app is getting a boost from the TikTok backlash, as 35 million new users joined Triller within just a few days. The app has been downloaded 250 million times worldwide, according to a report from TechCrunch on August 5.
“It’s critical for Trump aspiring to win votes from every sector in America,” Shun said.
Triller was founded two years before TikTok in 2015. In the firm’s Series B funding in October last year, Triller raised $28 million from Proxima Media – founded by Hollywood producer Ryan Kavanaugh, who is now the co-owner of Triller.
In response to US government attacking TikTok, Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, urged the Trump administration to stop cracking down on foreign companies without justification on Monday.
It should be noted that TikTok meetsall the demands made by the US side, but it still cannot escape being plundered by some Americans for the sake of political expediency. Several US politicians insist on making something out of nothing to assault TikTok, Zhao told a regular press briefing.
A father takes selfie with his daughter during a TikTok filming session in Vilnius, Lithuania, Aug. 10, 2020. The TikTok filming session was organized by local social media star “The Trending Gang” on Monday in Vilnius, attracting hundreds of followers and fans. (Photo by Alfredas Pliadis/Xinhua)
