During a White House press conference on Monday 6 July, US President Donald Trump claimed he was the most-followed person on TikTok — a platform he mistakenly referred to as "Tic Tac" — asserting he ranked No. 1 "by far" while Taylor Swift languished at No. 11. The claim is false, and Trump did not specify the source of the "new numbers" he cited, making it the latest in a long-running series of public digs at the pop star.

In reality, Trump has around 16.7 million TikTok followers, less than half of Swift's 33.5 million, and both are dwarfed by the platform's genuine top creators, led by Khaby Lame (162.3 million), Charli D'Amelio (159.1 million) and MrBeast (129.1 million). Billboard suggested the remark may have been intended to draw attention to Trump's newly launched "Trump Accounts" programme, noting his administration's habit of using pop-culture references for publicity. The claim also comes amid heightened attention on Swift following her wedding to Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden on Friday 3 July.