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Donald Trump is setting up a fight with Congress over whether TikTok should be banned or not. For many years, Trump has sounded the alarm over TikTok, calling it Chinese spy ware. Now, he seeks to oppose a ban while Congress is ready to pass one.
TikTok is one of the largest social media platforms, and is controlled by the Chinese government. Americans’ data is being collected and is being used to spread discord in the nation. Fox News says:
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., revealed on Monday that he believes former President Donald Trump was right when he sounded the alarm on TikTok and its national security implications.
”It was rare for me to say that Donald Trump was right,” Warner said during a committee hearing on worldwide threats. “But Donald Trump was right years ago when he pointed out the enormous national security concerns around TikTok, both in terms of obtaining data, but also think about the percentage – I think there are about 170 million Americans who use TikTok.”
TikTok has been hard at work lobbying to stay legal, but now faces both Democrat and Republican opposition. House Speaker Johnson is also on board with USA Today reports:
If the bill passes, it won’t be for lack of trying on TikTok’s part. The company’s CEO is expected to meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill ahead of the vote, and TikTok pushed users to reach out to members last week, prompting a flood of messagesthat irked some lawmakers.
It’s a show of steadiness in a chamber often disrupted by Trump’s influence. House Speaker Mike Johnson supports the bill and says TikTok is “actively undermining our economy and security.” He told reporters Monday that he hasn’t talked to the former president about the legislation and still plans to bring it up for a vote Wednesday.
Trump’s reversal is confusing to many, and could comes from a few reasons. Trump sees Facebook as being controlled by Democrats, and so seeks another social media platform to ally with to win. Alternatively, Trump could simply be seeking money for his campaign, and TikTok might back him in the election. More distantly, Trump’s surface opposition to the ban could actually be a ploy to get the ban passed, though this is not likely as it would require significant planning.
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