The former president signed an executive order in 2020 that attempted to ban the platform.
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Trump Condemns Potential TikTok Ban—Despite Pushing For Ban During His Presidency
Cailey Gleeson
Forbes Staff
I cover breaking news.
Mar 8, 2024,09:39am EST
Former President Donald Trump took to Truth Social Thursday to condemn a measure that could potentially ban TikTok unless its Beijing-based parent company sells the app, despite previously attempting to ban or force a sale of the social media giant during his own presidency.
The former president signed an executive order in 2020 that attempted to ban the platform.
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KEY FACTS
In the post, the former president said a ban on TikTok would “double the business” of “Facebook and Zuckerschmuck,” referring to Mark Zuckerberg, the billionaire CEO of Facebook parent company and TikTok competitor Meta.
Trump then said Facebook “cheated” in the 2020 election, calling it an “Enemy of the People” (Trump’s claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election have been repeatedly debunked, though some conservatives have also criticized Facebook’s moderating decisions in the leadup to the election).
Trump’s remarks followed a House committee unanimously advancing a bill Thursday that would effectively give ByteDance, the Beijing-based company that owns TikTok, six months to either sell the app or be banned altogether (the bill applies generally to apps “controlled by a foreign adversary,” but lawmakers have largely focused on TikTok).
However, Trump tried to get the social media platform banned during his own administration—even signing an executive order in August 2020 that prohibited Americans from doing business with ByteDance.
CRUCIAL QUOTE
“If you get rid of TikTok, Facebook and Zuckerschmuck will double their business,” Trump said. “I don’t want Facebook, who cheated in the last Election, doing better. They are a true Enemy of the People!”
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La.,
said in a post on X he plans to bring the “critical national security bill” to ban or force a sale of the platform to a vote in the House next week. TikTok lashed out against the bill, which it calls an infringement on free expression. The platform urged users to call members of Congress to show their opposition to the bill—leading
some lawmakers to get a flood of calls.
KEY BACKGROUND
Despite its growing popularity, TikTok has been under fire in the U.S. for years over national security and privacy concerns, including worries the Chinese government could force its parent company to hand over U.S. users’ data. The company—which says
60% of its shares are owned by investors outside of China—has argued it is not beholden to Beijing and would refuse any request to give user data, and U.S. data is generally stored outside of China. Following months of national security and privacy concerns, Trump
told reporters in early August 2020 that he would ban the platform. He
issued an executive order days later, which gave ByteDance 45 days to sell the app or face a ban.
Multiple federal judges blocked the order, which never came to fruition. Biden
revoked the order in June 2021, but his administration
has still pushed ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a potential ban.
TANGENT
Congress
passed a measure in December 2022 that banned the platform from federal devices. Several states have taken similar action for state-owned devices, while Montana attempted to ban the app from the state altogether, but the measure is
on hold amid a
lawsuit from TikTok.
SURPRISING FACT
On Thursday, Trump’s social media platform Truth Social
experienced major glitches during President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech.
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