Ex-President’s Shift in Stance as Legal Battles Loom Over TikTok’s Future in the US
Amid a looming potential ban, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has expressed support for TikTok, despite previously labeling the popular app a national security threat. Speaking to Bloomberg Businessweek in an interview posted on July 16, Trump explained that he supports TikTok because “you need competition,” noting that without it, platforms like Facebook and Instagram dominate the social media landscape. His comments mark a stark reversal, especially after he joined TikTok in June, even though he had called the app a threat to American security when he was president.
This position contrasts sharply with his earlier attempts to ban TikTok and WeChat during his presidency, moves that were blocked by the courts. In 2021, President Joe Biden rescinded executive orders from the Trump administration targeting TikTok and WeChat.
Trump also holds a majority stake in Trump Media and Technology Group, which operates Truth Social, a competing platform. However, despite its small revenue and market cap of US$7 billion, Trump Media’s competition with TikTok raises questions about the former president’s motives.
A September hearing before the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia will decide the future of TikTok, as a new law requires ByteDance, the Chinese parent company, to divest its US assets by January 2025. If ByteDance fails to comply, a ban could be enacted. The law, signed by President Biden in April, is motivated by national security concerns over the possibility of China accessing data from US users.
While President Biden’s administration is pushing for the end of Chinese-based ownership of TikTok, Biden’s campaign itself joined TikTok earlier this year. The legal battle, coinciding with the final weeks of the 2024 election cycle, will likely have significant political implications.
