In an interview today, former President Donald Trump reiterated his belief that the Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok poses a significant national security risk. However, he expressed concerns that banning TikTok could inadvertently strengthen Facebook, which he referred to as an “enemy of the people.”
“I do believe it and we very much have to go into privacy and make sure that we are protecting the American people’s privacy and data rights,” the presumptive Republican nominee added. “But, you know, we also have that problem with other — you have that problem with Facebook and lots of other companies too.”
Trump then said banning TikTok is a “tough decision to make,” and that the absence of the popular app could only help Facebook.
“Frankly 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. “There are a lot of users, that is, you know a lot of good, and there’s a lot of bad with TikTok, but the thing I don’t like, is without TikTok, you can make Facebook bigger — and I consider Facebook to be an enemy of the people, along with a lot of the media.
“If you ban TikTok, Facebook and others, but mostly Facebook, will be a big beneficiary,” he added, arguing Facebook has been “very bad for the country” especially in terms of elections.
These comments come as the House prepares to address legislation aimed at restricting companies like Apple and Google from hosting TikTok on their platforms unless its parent company, ByteDance, divests within a specified timeframe.
President Biden has signaled his willingness to support such measures, citing ongoing concerns over TikTok’s handling of data from American users. Trump’s recent meeting with prominent Republican donor Jeff Yass, who is also an investor in TikTok, adds further intrigue to the ongoing debate.
Trump also asserted his authority to have banned TikTok during his presidency but opted to defer to Congress on the matter. He referenced an executive order he issued in August 2020, which faced legal challenges, prompting Biden to revoke it upon assuming office and initiate further investigations into the app’s operations.
In December 2022, Biden signed legislation restricting the use of TikTok on federal government devices, except for specific purposes such as law enforcement, national security, or research, signaling continued scrutiny of the platform’s activities.
{Matzav.com}