Nothing says boomer like saying “TikTok” wrong and also making wild claims about how successful you are on social media. That’s what happened with Donald Trump when he spoke to the press in the Oval office and claimed to be trending number one on “Tic Tac.” Yes, that’s how he said it, and no, he didn’t correct himself in the moment.
We all have that one elderly relative who pronounces a word, or even a loved one’s name, incorrectly, but never makes the effort to correct themselves the next time around. It’s kind of like that for Trump, except he also has a hard time correcting himself about more important things he says that have a bearing on how the world responds to him and to the United States.
He said he’s number one “by far.”
Trump: "You know who the number one person on Tic Tac is by far? Trump. Me. Taylor Swift was number 11." pic.twitter.com/BriJNk4QeL
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 6, 2026
In a video posted on X, Trump claims he is number one on TikTok. Whether he means he is trending as number one as a search term or his account is number one, he doesn’t specify. But in either case, it seems a bit unlikely. Especially when he says he ranks higher than Taylor Swift on the short form video platform.
“It was announced, about two days ago, the new numbers just came out,” Trump says in the video. “You know who the number one person in Tic Tac is by far? Trump. Me. I just got the…I’m number one, like Taylor Swift was number 11. I’m number one in TikTok by far.”
Even though it’s unclear how Trump is allegedly number one on TikTok, some of his critics are tired of seeing him on social media and hearing abut him. Even if social media does help bring awareness to some of Trump’s antics, people are slowly but surely getting over the exposure Trump has on social media as a whole.
“Enough,” someone replied to the X post. “Trump is not content. He is the product billionaires keep forcing into our homes after it already worked. Some of us watched the screen turn parents into strangers, families into campaign offices, and childhood into collateral damage. Get him the f–k out of living rooms.”
People called him out for his claims about TikTok.
@realdonaldtrump TRUMP ACCOUNTS ARE HOT! VISIT TRUMPACCOUNTS.GOV TODAY!
♬ Ka-ching (shopping / cash register sound)(1243277) – Minimal Order
After some X users got past the fact that Trump first said “Tic Tac” instead of the proper word for the app, TikTok, they went into him on X about the claim. Someone even commented on the X post with a screenshot of the top 20 global accounts based on followers on TikTok. According to the user, Trump doesn’t even make the cut for the top 20. Instead, we have influencer Khaby Lame as the number one user, with Charli D’Amelio following as a close second.
And, if you search what’s trending on TikTok right now, Trump is nowhere to be found in the top trends, sounds, or users. Maybe someone gave Trump the wrong information, as he is surrounded by yes men and yes women everywhere you look. Or, he just decided to share that bit of alleged information on his own. Either way, it seems to be wildly inaccurate.
As another user commented, “I’m not sure anymore if he’s making it up in his head or if his team just tells him lies to keep him happy each day.”
People think he’s going to mispronounce other things besides TikTok next.
Trump’s mispronunciation of TikTok might pave the way for more words and phrases said incorrectly, as is often the case for boomers.
One user commented on the X post to joke, “Bro’s gonna call ChatGPT ‘chat gps’ next.” It’s not totally out of the realm of possibilities at this point. He did once say “Yo Semites” instead of Yosemite, in reference to the national park.
