The social media saga surrounding TikTok has been an tumultuous roller coaster, with former President Donald Trump in the forefront of the controversy. Trump, known for his reversal of many previous statements, continues with this trend as he has made abrupt about-face regarding his stance on TikTok, a popular social application predominantly used by the younger generation for sharing short, creative video contents.
Although in 2020 Trump signed an executive order threatening to ban TikTok from functioning in the United States, citing national security concerns due to its Chinese ownership and alleging potential misuse of user data, his recent remarks on the subject reveal a complete shift in his viewpoint. Contradicting his previous stance, the former President is now accusing current President Joe Biden of wanting to ban the platform. This sudden twist highlights Trump’s habit of going back on his words and redirecting the blame towards his political opponents, primarily Biden.
TikTok, owned by the Chinese firm ByteDance, has come under the spotlight due to concerns over data privacy and potential influence on U.S. politics. Last year, Trump asserted that the social media app could provide Beijing with troves of personal data, hence posing a security risk. His hardline stance resulted in a geopolitical saga that resulted in a tentative sales agreement involving Oracle and Walmart. However, that transaction remains in limbo even today.
Despite these actions, Trump seems determined to shift the narrative. In a role reversal, he has recently been focusing on laying the responsibility of this purported TikTok ban on Biden’s shoulders. The reason behind similarly accusing Biden like he himself once advocated for remains unclear.
In response to these statements, the White House has maintained a firm stance, primarily focusing on verifying the security concerns surrounding the application. Biden’s administration has stated that they will ensure rigorous review of the situation before making any definitive decisions, declaring that the security and privacy of American people are of paramount importance.
Trump, resorting to his familiar pattern of criticizing Biden, did not dwell on his prior advocacy for halting TikTok’s operation in the U.S. Instead, he criticized Biden for having the same alleged intention, painting it as negatively as possible. This scenario again underlines Trump’s tactic of repositioning himself related to an issue in a manner that best suits his political interests, even if that means contradicting his previous assertions.
To further add to the perplexity surrounding this topic, Trump’s words are devoid of tangible evidence. Apart from his accusations, there is no concrete sign or
