President-elect Donald Trump has corruptly flipped on his previous position that TikTok should be banned in the United States unless the social media platform disentangles from Chinese government control. His stark reversal — which one ally suggested came about because the app was "great for his campaign" — stands in contrast to the public statements of his top foreign policy, homeland security, defense, and intelligence appointees, who are on the record describing a TikTok ban as a crucial matter of national security and in some cases denouncing Democrats for using the platform.Then-President Trump issued an August 2020 executive order requiring TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell, spin off, or shut down the app’s U.S. operations, citing “credible evidence” the company “might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United States.” President Joe Biden ultimately rescinded the order, but following further reporting of Chinese government influence over TikTok, in April 2024 Congress passed and Biden signed bipartisan legislation requiring ByteDance’s divestment. ByteDance refused, instead preparing to shut down TikTok in the U.S. by the law’s deadline of this Sunday.But Trump subsequently rejected the position he had once championed and is now poised to take action “to keep TikTok from going dark.” After a March 2024 meeting with hedge fund manager Jeff Yass, a GOP megadonor who reportedly held a major financial stake in ByteDance, Trump abruptly reversed his support for TikTok’s divestment, saying that “young people will go crazy without it.” The platform also reportedly altered its algorithm to benefit Trump’s presidential campaign, which used TikTok to great effect; indeed, in a January 15 interview, incoming national security adviser Michael Waltz said Trump would sign an executive order to “create the space” for a “deal” in part because TikTok “was great for [Trump's] campaign and getting his message out."This abrupt reversal exposes as craven hypocrites not only Waltz, but also Trump’s nominees for secretary of state, Marco Rubio; defense, Pete Hegseth; and homeland security, Kristi Noem. The four are among the right’s harshest critics of TikTok and foremost proponents of banning it. They describe the platform as a Chinese “Trojan Horse” that “the communists” are using to “compromiz[e] national security” and “propagandize to 150 million Americans,” allowing them to “poison the minds of young Americans” and get kids to “trans themselves” as part of China’s “long-term goal to destroy the United States.”Moreover, Noem was the first governor to ban state employees from using the platform on state-owned devices, while Rubio introduced legislation banning it nationally if it was not sold.Either they were all lying about the pressing national security threat of a ByteDance-controlled TikTok back then, or they are willingly leaving the United States exposed because they don’t want to stand up to the incoming president.
Initial and resusurected calls to ban tik tok were based on Sinophobia. The 2024 “intelligence report” is baseless propaganda. Just because all of the politicians want war on China, and the tech oligarchy prefers less competition, people, and especially young people, would prefer having access to it. That Trump found the platform useful to his campaign, didn’t stop DNC candidates from also having accounts.
The main reason to resurrect the ban was an election scare of non-zionist media access, and failure to dictate zionist content filtered from US audience. IDF massacres/genocide self posted for Israel audience, and Palestinian displeasure of such, fails to inspire young people’s appreciation of genocide. Having Netanyahu embarass Biden/Blinken/Sullivan on ceasefires and fake hand wringing, was successful in suppressing youth vote, and was no threat during election. An Israel final solution is now firmly backed, and protests for genocide will be punished harshly in US, including muslim deportation schemes. Netanyahu, and US zionist election deciders, need Trump/GOP’s anti muslim base to fully control “democracy”.
The fear that Tik Tok could show truth as part of democratic process, is why it was a big political issue this year. It is all BS and corruption, though. Election is over, and tik tok will not prevent Israel domination of US and middle east.