A TikToker accidentally became a 'MAGA icon' after posting a video mocking Trump's dance moves
- TikTok creator @julia_keith_ posted a video in which she mocks President Donald Trump's dancing by imitating a video of him.
- However, some supporters of the president, including his daughter Ivanka Trump, said that they loved the video, with many seemingly believing that it was made with positive intentions.
- Keith told BuzzFeed News that it was "definitely not a pro-Trump dance," and has since posted videos encouraging her followers to vote.
A video in which a TikToker mocks President Donald Trump's dancing has traveled far and wide, but not for the reason she expected.
26-year-old Julia Keith posted a video on October 17 imitating Trump dancing at what appears to be one of his rallies. The video, set to a popular mash-up of Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" and Savage's "Swing," has amassed over 476,000 likes and approximately 6.5 million views on TikTok in the nearly two weeks since it was posted.
"This just might be the hardest tik tok dance I've ever done," the caption reads.
A follow-up video in which Keith imitates the president also went somewhat viral, amassing over 100,000 likes on TikTok.
Keith told BuzzFeed News that she made the video to make fun of the president.
The original video, however, reached a different audience. The comment section of her video was — and to a certain extent, still is — filled with messages praising the dance and the president.
Keith told BuzzFeed News that her dance had "no political motive," but that it was "definitely not a pro-Trump dance."
On TikTok, she addressed the mix-up as well, posting a video on October 24 about the dance going viral and making her a "MAGA icon."
"This is not what I intended," she wrote in the caption of the video, which flashes a picture of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden at the end. That video is now more viral than the first, and has nearly 660,000 likes on TikTok.
Still, by that point the original video had spread on both TikTok as well as other social platforms. Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter, retweeted the video with the caption, "Love it!"
Keith told BuzzFeed News that people had told her that their parents were sharing the video on Facebook, and that a friend called her to say that her video could have unintentionally been a political influence on people.
"I can't even fathom that I would have a hand in this election, and that people see [my video] and thinking, 'Oh he's a great guy,'" she told BuzzFeed News. "How many people did I cause to vote? But also, who would vote based on a video?"
Keith, who now has approximately 23,000 followers on TikTok, has posted videos encouraging her followers to vote, captioning one with the hashtag #biden2020.
- Read more:
- A super PAC run by teens is demolishing Trump with memes on TikTok
- An 'entirely untapped' generation of new voters are on TikTok, but both Trump and Biden have ignored them
- TikTok teens are making memes saying they'll show up at the White House to confront Trump over app ban
- TikTok creators are worried about losing their followings as the Trump administration considers banning the app