Trump backs TikTok as US ban looms

Support of Chinese-owned app comes four years after attempting to ban it over national security concerns

The TikTok app is displayed on an Apple iPhone on 7 August, 2020 in Washington, DC (Getty Images)

Donald Trump has said he supports TikTok amid a looming ban for the Chinese-owned app.

TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, faces a nationwide ban if its parent company fails to sell it before January. US lawmakers, with the support of the Biden administration, claim the app poses a national security risk due to alleged ties to the Chinese government.

US presidential candidate Trump joined the viral video-sharing app last month – four years after attempting to ban TikTok through an executive order while he was in office after claiming it posed a national security risk.

His change in stance appears to come in response to his dislike of Meta-owned platforms Instagram and Facebook, which suspended him for two years following the deadly January 6 riots in 2021.

“I’m for TikTok because you need competition,” Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg BusinessWeek. “If you don’t have TikTok, you have Facebook and Instagram.”

TikTok declined to comment.

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The app is already banned on most government devices due to spying fears, while both democrats and republicans have expressed concerns that the app’s algorithm could be used to spread misinformation and propaganda, especially among young people.

TikTok has consistently denied any wrongdoing, claiming that any ban would impact the First Amendment right to free speech for its 170 million American users.

The bill, which was passed by the US House of Representatives in April, was wrapped up with a broader foreign aid package for Israel and Ukraine, allowing it to be fast-tracked through the legislative process.

“It is unfortunate that the House of Representative is using the cover of important foreign and humanitarian assistance to once again jam through a ban bill,” TikTok said in a statement at the time.

“This unconstitutional law is a TikTok ban, and we will challenge it in court. We believe the facts and the law are clearly on our side, and we will ultimately prevail.”