VIDEO: Trump urges voters to support him to 'Save TikTok'

Former President Donald Trump has called on Americans to vote for him if they want to "save TikTok," accusing his political rival of attempting to shut down the popular social media app.

In a video posted on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, Trump directly addressed viewers, standing between two American flags.

“For those who want to save TikTok in America, vote for Trump,” he said. “The other side is closing it up, but I’m now a big star on TikTok,” he added, claiming that his presence on the platform is “setting records.”

Trump, who joined TikTok three months ago, has gained 10.8 million followers. Vice President Kamala Harris, who launched her presidential campaign shortly after, has amassed 5 million followers on the platform.

“We’re not doing anything with TikTok, but the other side is going to close it up,” Trump continued in his video. “So, if you like TikTok, vote for Trump. If you don’t care about TikTok — and other things like safety, security, and prosperity — then you can vote for a Marxist who’s going to destroy our country.”

Both the Trump and Harris campaigns acknowledge the importance of TikTok in reaching young voters, a demographic that has leaned more conservative in this election cycle than in previous ones. However, Harris's campaign has seen a surge in enthusiasm from young voters, particularly following her replacement of President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee. Her team has been praised for a revamped communication strategy that resonates with younger audiences.

A recent USA Today/Suffolk University poll revealed a significant shift in youth support, with voters aged 18-29 moving 24 percentage points between June and August. The poll showed that young voters now favor Harris over Trump by 13 percentage points, a shift from a previous 11-point advantage Trump held over Biden.

Neither Trump nor Harris has expressed support for a full TikTok ban. However, the Biden administration passed legislation requiring ByteDance, TikTok’s China-based parent company, to sell the app or face a ban in the U.S. A January 2025 deadline for the sale, with a potential 90-day extension, was set to address national security concerns over Chinese access to American user data, a claim TikTok has consistently denied.

While Trump opposed this ban at the time, he had attempted to enforce a similar restriction through executive order during his presidency.

Watch the video below;

@7newsaustralia Donald Trump has made a plea to young voters to save TikTok by voting for him. In April a measure to outlaw the app won congressional approval and was signed off by President Biden. Kamala Harris has a commanding lead with younger voters ahead of Trump 50-34 and the former president is hoping he can capture the 10 per cent who said they wouldn't vote in the upcoming election. #trump #harris #kamalaharris #donaldtrump#tiktok#7NEWS ♬ original sound - 7NEWS Australia