Trump claims TikTok top spot — but the full picture tells a different story

"TikTok No. 1? That's me."

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly boasted about his TikTok clout this week, claiming he has surpassed Taylor Swift and left celebrities far behind. But a closer look reveals he is not No. 1 overall — only among world leaders.

CNBC reported Thursday that Trump had introduced himself multiple times this week as the "dominant No. 1" on TikTok, but that the ranking compared only heads of state and government.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said "new statistics" had come out. "Do you know who is the dominant No. 1 on TikTok? It's me," he said, adding confidently, "I beat Taylor Swift."

The boasting continued two days later at the NATO summit.

"I was No. 1," Trump said. "Entertainers were at 27, 29 — I don't understand it. It must mean my influence is growing."

But the numbers tell a different story.

As of Thursday, Trump had about 16.7 million TikTok followers, according to CNBC. Taylor Swift had about 33.5 million — more than twice as many.

The overall No. 1 on TikTok is Khaby Lame, an influencer known for his wordless reaction videos, with about 162.3 million followers — roughly 10 times Trump's count.

Charlie D'Amelio, ranked second, has about 159.2 million followers.

So why did Trump call himself No. 1?

The answer lies in a congratulatory message from TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew.

On Sunday, Trump shared on his Truth Social platform a message from Chew stating that Trump was the world leader with the most TikTok followers.

When CNBC asked the White House for comment, it did not offer a separate explanation — instead resharing that same post, implying Trump's remarks were made in the context of world leaders only.

Among world leaders, Trump does indeed rank first on TikTok.

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele comes second with about 12.9 million followers, followed by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum with 9.3 million and French President Emmanuel Macron with 7.3 million.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has about 1.5 million followers.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, by contrast, do not operate official TikTok accounts.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who ran against Trump in the 2024 presidential election, has about 10.1 million followers, while former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden have no official accounts.

Trump's TikTok feed features not only policy promotion videos but also clips mocking the Democratic Party as "Dumocrats" and an AI-generated satirical video depicting late-night host Stephen Colbert being thrown into a trash can.

Trump currently has about 111.7 million followers on X, about 44 million on Instagram and about 12.9 million on Truth Social.