Presidential candidate Donald Trump has expressed concerns about the potential ban of TikTok, a popular short video app, ahead of a House vote next week. The House is set to vote on legislation that would require TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, to divest the app within six months.
In a post on the social media site Truth Social, Trump argued against banning TikTok, suggesting that such a move would benefit Facebook and he does not want Facebook to “do better.”
The Energy and Commerce Committee has already approved the legislation, which aims to crack down on TikTok due to concerns about its data collection practices and its Chinese ownership.
Trump (Credits: Fox Business)
Former Vice President Mike Pence has endorsed the proposed legislation, stating that “China is poisoning the minds of American children” and calling for action.
The bill would give ByteDance 165 days to divest TikTok, or app stores like Apple and Google would not be able to offer TikTok or provide web hosting services to ByteDance-controlled applications.
The courts blocked Trump’s previous attempts to ban TikTok in 2020. Republican Senator Rand Paul has responded to Trump’s statement, highlighting efforts to address concerns about TikTok through a $1.5 billion company project and questioning why the House GOP is still trying to ban TikTok.
TikTok has argued that the House bill amounts to a total ban of the app in the United States and has raised concerns about the government stripping Americans of their constitutional right to free expression. It is unclear if China would approve any sale of TikTok or if ByteDance could divest the app in six months.
The app’s popularity and the upcoming election year may make it difficult to get legislation approved by both the House and Senate. President Biden’s re-election campaign has joined TikTok, but Trump’s campaign has not.
