Donald Trump once wanted to ban TikTok in US but now stands against the ban

During the Trump administration, there were concerns that TikTok, a popular video-sharing app with over 1 billion active users, could pose a national security threat due to its Chinese ownership. However, the ban could not take place during this rule.

Trump told CNBC that TikTok is loved by many people, with a significant number of young kids who would be greatly affected if it were absent. He remarked that without TikTok, Facebook could experience growth, and he viewed Facebook as an adversary of the people. Despite still holding the belief that TikTok poses a national security risk, Trump noted that other apps also present risks, specifically singling out the platform owned by Meta. He expressed his opinion that Facebook has had a negative impact on the country, particularly concerning elections. Last week, he stated that banning TikTok would contribute to the increase in business for Facebook and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

“There are a lot of people on TikTok that love it. There are a lot of young kids on TikTok who will go crazy without it,” he said. Trump also added that without TikTok “you can make Facebook bigger and I consider Facebook to be an enemy of the people”. “I think Facebook has been very bad for our country, especially “Facebook and Zuckerschmuck double their business”, Trump said.

Trump’s sudden backing of TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance comes after Joe Biden’s recent announcement that he would approve legislation which might lead to a TikTok ban. The bill is set for voting in the US House on Wednesday.

If this bill passes, ByteDance would be required to sell off TikTok, an app used by around 150 million Americans. Failure to comply within six months could result in a ban on TikTok’s availability on US app stores and web hosting services, effectively preventing users from accessing the platform.

A TikTok spokesperson has criticized the bill, stating that it’s designed to ultimately ban TikTok entirely in the United States. The company has initiated a campaign encouraging users to contact Congress and voice opposition to what they perceive as an impending shutdown of TikTok.

According to the company, such legislation would infringe upon the First Amendment rights of approximately 170 million Americans and harm around 5 million small businesses that rely on TikTok as a platform for growth and job creation.