Donald Trump claimed he was more influential than Taylor Swift on TikTok, but the evidence remains blank.
At a press conference on Monday (July 6), the twice-impeached president falsely boasted that he had more supporters on the platform (which he called “Tic Tock” at one point) than pop superstars. “There’s this thing called TikTok. Have you heard of it? It was announced about two days ago and the new numbers were just released. You know who the No. 1 person in the world is,” he told reporters gathered at the White House. [TikTok] Is it far? Mr. Trump. myself. “
“I’m No. 1,” he continued. “Taylor Swift was number 11. I’m by far number one on TikTok.”
Billboard has reached out to the singer’s representative for comment.
It’s unclear what “numbers” Trump was referring to, but a quick search on the app shows that Trump has 16.7 million followers, while Swift has more than double that number at 33.5 million. Even their follower numbers pale in comparison to the actual most-followed creators on the site. Topping the list are Khaby Lame (162.3 million followers), Charli D’Amelio (159.1 million followers), and MrBeast (129.1 million followers).
Politicians’ recent criticism of Swift may actually have been a way to draw attention to the new Trump Accounts program, which she launched at Monday’s press conference. Either way, Trump and his administration, which has a long history of disparaging the 14-time Grammy Award winner, have openly used pop culture references in polarizing ways to generate publicity.
For example, when the White House faced backlash for using Swift’s Billboard Hot 100-top song “The Fate of Ophelia” in a TikTok praising the Trump administration, an official commented to Variety, “We created this video because we knew the brand of fake news media…breathtakingly amplified. Congratulations, you played.”
Swift has also been making more noise than usual lately, as her wedding to Travis Kelsey made headlines over the Fourth of July weekend. Surrounded by friends, family, and countless A-list celebrities, the couple wed at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Friday (July 3), announcing the news to the public with the message “JUST&T MARRIED” displayed on a screen outside the venue.
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