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President-elect Donald Trump boasted about his efforts to “save” TikTok during his pre-inauguration victory rally.
Trump is speaking at his “Make America Great Again Victory Rally” inside Washington D.C.’s Capital One Arena this Sunday evening, less than 24 hours before he is set to take office.
“As of today, TikTok is back,” Trump said. “So, you know, I did a little TikTok thing. We have a guy…he’s a young kid, like 21 years old, and we hired this guy, and I went on Tiktok. Can you believe what I’ll do to win an election?”
“So whether you like Tiktok or not, we’re going to make a lot of money,” he added.
While Trump pushed to ban the Chinese-owned app during his first presidency, he has since painted himself as its savior. The president-elect said he plans to issue an executive order Monday — the first day of his presidency — to “keep TikTok from going dark.”
TikTok praised “President Trump’s efforts” in a message to users following a brief shutdown in the U.S. on Saturday night. The app went offline in the U.S. around 10.30 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday ahead of the January 19 ban.
Thousands of spectators lined up outside the arena beginning early Sunday, many donning the famous red “Make America Great Again” caps and waving signs supporting the president-elect. The crowd chanted “USA!” as Trump walked through the crowd toward the stage.
While celebrating his victory on stage, Trump falsely claimed to have won the youth vote in the 2024 election, noting it’s part of the reason he enjoys TikTok: “We won the youth vote by 36 points. So I like Tiktok.”
Democratic candidate Kamala Harris actually secured 54 percent of votes among people ages 18-29 and 51 percent of votes among people ages 30-44, CNN exit polling shows, while Trump won the majority of the vote among voters 45-years-old and older.
The victory rally marks Trump’s first major speech in the nation’s capital since he spoke at the Ellipse on January 6, 2021. There, he said to “fight like hell” just before many of his supporters stormed the Capitol in an effort to obstruct the certification of the 2020 election.
Trump has since promised to pardon many of those convicted for their actions during the January 6 insurrection once he takes office.
“Everybody in this very large arena will be very happy with my decision on the [January 6] hostages,” Trump said at his victory rally.
A number of Trump allies also spoke at the rally, including actor Jon Voight, adviser Stephen Miller and billionaire Elon Musk.
“We’re looking forward to making a lot of changes,” Musk said as he was joined on stage by his four-year-old son, X.
Kid Rock performed at the rally, opening with his 2008 hit, “All Summer Long.” He also performed “We The People,” which features lyrics slamming President Joe Biden, Dr. Anthony Fauci and “mainstream media.”
Ahead of the victory rally, Trump arrived at Arlington National Cemetery and placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This follows Trump’s visit to the site in August, during which two of his staffers were allegedly involved in a physical altercation with cemetery personnel, according to an NPR report at the time.
Meanwhile, the president-elect’s inauguration will take place indoors at the Capitol building Monday afternoon, a change attributed to freezing temperatures.
Spectators can view the ceremony from the Capital One Arena, Trump announced, while notable attendees — including President Joe Biden, lawmakers, and Trump’s family, among others — will still be able to attend in person.
More to come…
