White House launches official TikTok account

Past intelligence assessments have said the short video app's owners are beholden to the Chinese government and that it could be used to influence Americans.

"The Trump administration is committed to communicating the historic successes President Trump has delivered to the American people with as many audiences and platforms as possible," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said as the site went live.

"President Trump's message dominated TikTok during his presidential campaign, and we're excited to build upon those successes and communicate in a way no other administration has before," she said.

The account, @whitehouse, began operation on Tuesday evening, with the aim of communicating the president's policies, a White House official said.