Former President Donald Trump accused President Joe Biden of supporting a TikTok ban, urging voters to pay attention as bipartisan legislation progresses to force TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance to sell its U.S. operations.
The House approved the bill with a strong majority, sending it to the Senate for a final decision.
Trump alleged that Biden’s backing of the ban aimed to benefit Facebook, suggesting it would strengthen Facebook’s dominance.
Trump’s comments reflect his own efforts as president to ban TikTok and WeChat due to national security worries, which faced legal challenges.
TikTok, emphasizing its commitment to user privacy and free speech, warned that a ban could violate the First Amendment. It vowed to legally challenge the legislation once signed by Biden, expressing confidence in its defense.
Joe Biden talks to the press (Via Alex Kimmich/Shutterstock)
In contrast to Trump’s claims, the White House clarified its position, expressing hesitancy about banning TikTok and stressing the goal of ensuring American ownership to protect sensitive data.
The administration aims to prevent data from being sent to China and guard against algorithm manipulation.
Trump’s statements coincide with his ongoing criticism of Meta Platforms’ Facebook, asserting that curtailing TikTok would benefit Facebook.
However, the legislative proposal aims to prohibit app stores from offering ByteDance-controlled apps once the divestment deadline passes, aiming to address national security concerns.
