Fact check: Is Donald Trump more popular than Taylor Swift on TikTok? Here's debunking US president's claim

Published 7 July 2026 · us

The US President Donald Trump is back at throwing shade at global pop star Taylor Swift, who recently got married to beau Travis Kelce. At

The US President Donald Trump is back at throwing shade at global pop star Taylor Swift, who recently got married to beau Travis Kelce. At the latest, Trump made big claims about his follower count on TikTok, alleging that he is at the top spot on the app, even surpassing Swift. Donald Trump claims he is ‘number one’ on TikTok What did he say? During a press conference at the White House on Monday, July 6, Trump was asked about China’s alleged involvement in the app. “It was announced about two days ago, the new numbers just came out, you know who the number one person in Tic Tac is by far?” Trump said and misnamed the popular app in the US.

Also Read | Travis Kelce cried more than Taylor Swift: Step inside the NYC wedding Donald Trump vs Taylor Swift He continued to say, “Trump, me. I’m number one…" "Taylor Swift was number eleven. I’m number one on TikTok by far. The numbers just came out… I’m by far number one. It was sent to me by — the list comes out number one and two. I was number one by a lot. So I guess, I don’t know, maybe they are bad, maybe they are not. I know one thing: great American people, tremendous business people, and companies bought it. I called President Xi, and everyone said he was a hard no. I said it’s a good thing for TikTok, but it’s good for us, too.

American companies, great ones, own our TikTok, and it is very influential. But I’m number one by a lot.” Fact check- who has more followers on TikTok? So, the question remains-- Is Donald Trump really the most followed person on TikTok? Although Trump did not back up his claims with numbers, Live Mint found out the truth. Turns out, there's no truth to claims made by the President. Donald Trump As of July 7, 9:30 am EST, Donald Trump has 16.6 million followers on TikTok with 121.8 million likes to his posts collectively. So far, he is only following two accounts on the platform. View full Image View full Image Donald Trump and Taylor Swift Taylor Swift Taylor Swift, on the other hand, with only 3 posts in 2026, has 33.5 million followers with 274.5 million likes to her posts in total.

Comparatively, she has almost double the number of followers and even more on the app. Most popular people on TikTok So, who is the most popular personality on TikTok? Surely neither Donald Trump, nor Taylor Swift. According to Just Jared, Khaby Lame is the most followed person on TikTok with162.3 million followers currently. He is followed by Charli D’Amelio with 159.1 million and MrBeast with 129.1 million followers.