By Jayla Whitfield-Anderson and Anna Tong
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – TikTok earmuffs and MAGA hats adorned partygoers at Sunday’s inauguration celebration for the incoming President Donald Trump and the video-sharing platform he once tried to ban.
Called the Power 30 Awards, the party occurred hours after TikTok began restoring services, and honored social media influencers who had helped most with Trump’s re-election.
At the party, TikTok influencers recorded moments on small cameras and mingled over an open bar at Sax Restaurant and Lounge in downtown Washington. Free swag flowed: TikTok beanies, shot glasses and Trump merchandise.
The party was hosted by Raquel Debono, known for organizing “Make America Hot Again” conservative dating events, and CJ Pearson, co-chair of the Republican National Committee Youth Advisory Council.
“2024 was the first influencer election,” Pearson told Reuters at the party. “When we look at the mandate that President Trump was given, it was because of young voters, and young voters were reached uniquely because of TikTok.”
Trump won only 43% of voters age 18 to 29 in the 2024 general election, but that was 7 points more than in 2020.
Partygoers also praised Trump for his role in turning TikTok back on.
“Shout out to Donald Trump,” TikTok content creator Bryce Hall, whose posts revolving around “making fun of stupid things” have netted him over 23 million followers, told Reuters. “Now he understand the power of Gen Z.”
TikTok began restoring its services earlier on Sunday after President-elect Donald Trump said he would revive the app’s access in the U.S. when he returns to power on Monday.
Trump said Sunday that U.S. will seek a joint venture to restore the short-video sharing app used by 170 million Americans.
In a message to users hours before the rally, TikTok said: “As a result of president Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.”
As of Sunday evening, the app remained unavailable for download on U.S. app stores, but the TikTok app and website were back online.
TikTok stopped working for U.S. users late on Saturday before a law shutting it down on national security grounds took effect on Sunday. U.S. officials had warned that under Chinese parent company ByteDance, there was a risk of Americans’ data being misused.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew plans to attend the U.S. presidential inauguration and attend a rally with Trump on Sunday, a source told Reuters.
(Reporting in Washington by Jayla Whitfield-Anderson; editing by Gerry Doyle)
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