It’s January 2026, and if you told someone three years ago that the same guy who tried to ban TikTok in 2020 would be its self-proclaimed "savior" by 2025, they’d probably think you were hallucinating. But here we are. The relationship between Trump TikTok and Truth Social has become one of the weirdest, most profitable, and most strategically complex stories in American business.
Honestly, the pivot was jarring.
For years, we heard about national security threats and "digital fentanyl." Then, suddenly, during the 2024 campaign, Donald Trump joined the platform. He didn't just join; he dominated. By late 2024, he had nearly 15 million followers. He realized something basic: TikTok had the reach that his own platform, Truth Social, simply didn't. While Truth Social was his "home base" for core supporters, TikTok was the megaphone that reached the undecided youth.
Fast forward to right now. We are living through the aftermath of the "qualified divestiture" deal signed in late 2025. It’s a messy, high-stakes arrangement that has basically reshaped how we think about social media ownership in the U.S.
The 2025 Deal That Saved the Scroll
Last September, the White House released a massive fact sheet titled "President Donald J. Trump Saves TikTok While Protecting National Security." It wasn't just a catchy headline. It was the culmination of a series of executive orders—starting with EO 14166 on his first day back in office—that delayed the ban multiple times.
The deal is a monster. Basically, TikTok’s U.S. operations were moved into a new joint venture.
- Ownership: ByteDance was forced to drop its stake to less than 20%.
- The Power Players: Big names like Oracle’s Larry Ellison and even Rupert Murdoch’s family got involved in the investor group.
- The Board: A seven-seat board where ByteDance only gets one vote.
- Data Security: Oracle isn't just a cloud provider anymore; they are the "trusted security partner" monitoring every software update and algorithm change.
This matters because it solved a massive political headache for Trump. He couldn't afford to be the guy who took away the favorite app of 170 million Americans right after winning an election where he "won the youth by 34 points," as he often claims. He needed a win that looked like "The Art of the Deal" in action.
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Truth Social vs. TikTok: The Competition That Isn't
People keep asking if TikTok’s survival kills Truth Social. It’s a fair question. If you look at the numbers from early 2025, Truth Social had roughly 6.3 million monthly active users. That is a rounding error compared to TikTok’s 170 million.
But here is the kicker: they aren't actually competing for the same thing.
Truth Social is a political fortress. It's where the "Truths" start. Under the SEC filings for Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), there was actually a 6-hour exclusivity rule. Trump had to post non-political content to Truth Social first. But—and this is a huge "but"—he had "sole discretion" to decide what was political.
Since everything he does is arguably political, he could post to TikTok whenever he wanted.
What we're seeing in 2026 is a weird synergy. Trump uses Truth Social to talk to the "MAGA" base and move the needle on stock prices (DJT). Then, he uses TikTok to humanize himself, posting videos with influencers or behind-the-scenes clips from the Oval Office. It’s a two-pronged digital strategy that no other politician has mastered.
The Algorithm Shift
One of the most technical—and controversial—parts of the 2025 deal was the retraining of the algorithm. The executive order required that all recommendation models using U.S. data be retrained and monitored by American security partners.
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This was meant to stop "improper manipulation" from foreign adversaries.
Critics, however, worry about a different kind of manipulation. By bringing TikTok under the wing of U.S. billionaires friendly to the administration, does the "For You" page change its flavor? We've already seen Meta (Facebook/Instagram) pull back on fact-checking to stay in the administration's good graces. TikTok, being "beholden to Trump" for its very existence, is under a microscope.
The Economic Impact of the "Stay"
Let's talk money. The White House claims that preserving TikTok will generate $178 billion in economic activity over the next four years. That's a bold stat. But when you think about the seven million small businesses that use the app for marketing, it starts to make sense.
The stock market has been a roller coaster because of this. Every time Trump mentions TikTok, the TMTG (Truth Social) stock fluctuates. Investors are constantly trying to figure out if he’s going to merge the two or if one will eventually cannibalize the other.
Current indicators suggest a "house of brands" approach. Truth Social stays the boutique, highly-engaged political site. TikTok remains the mass-market entertainment giant.
What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception is that the "ban" was just about China. It was always about leverage.
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In early 2025, Trump explicitly linked TikTok’s future to trade negotiations and tariffs. He even suggested at one point that the U.S. "should be entitled to get half of TikTok." While he didn't get half the company in cash, he got a massive win for U.S. investors and a platform that is now structurally incapable of acting against his administration’s interests without Oracle or the DOJ stepping in.
Where We Go From Here
If you’re a creator or a business owner, the "Trump TikTok and Truth Social" saga means the era of platform stability is over. You have to be everywhere.
The 2025 framework proved that social media apps are now geopolitical pawns. If an app gets too big, it will be forced into a "qualified divestiture" or it will die. We've seen this play out with the 75-day reprieves and the final September deal.
Actionable Insights for 2026:
- Diversify Your Base: Don't rely on the TikTok algorithm alone. Use Truth Social or X for your "hardcore" community building and TikTok for broad discovery.
- Watch the Security Updates: Oracle’s monitoring of the TikTok algorithm means "shadowbanning" or reach issues might now be tied to domestic policy shifts rather than foreign ones.
- Monitor TMTG Filings: If you're an investor, the SEC filings for Truth Social's parent company often contain the "rules of engagement" for how the President is allowed to use other platforms.
The saga isn't over. While the "ban" is dead for now, the new joint venture is still finding its feet. We are watching a live experiment in "Americanized" social media ownership. Whether it stays "the same global TikTok experience" as promised remains to be seen.