Was the whole TikTok drama a bait-and-switch to make Trump look good?
Skeptics have highlighted how Trump was the one who initially called for the Chinese-owned social media app to be banned in 2020
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Political commentators have suggested that the drama surrounding TikTok is a âscamâ to make President-elect Donald Trump âlook goodâ after he has vowed to save it.
The Chinese-owned social media app went dark in the U.S. on Saturday night and posted a message at about 10.30 p.m. Eastern time saying: âSorry, TikTok isnât available right now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!â
The Biden administration blasted TikTokâs statement as a âstuntâ in a statement on Saturday.
And on Sunday morning, Trump vowed to issue an executive order on Monday, the day of his inauguration, to give the appâs parent company ByteDance more time to find a buyer. Early Sunday afternoon, TikTok announced it was âin the process of restoring serviceâ to the app â and thanked Trump for his support.
âWe thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive,â it said in a statement. âItâs a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.â
Skeptics have highlighted how Trump was the one who initially called for the controversial Chinese-owned social media app to be banned in 2020. But since Trumpâs following on TikTok grew â he has now amassed 14.8 million followers â and he hinted it helped to clinch the election, the president-elect has changed his tune.
âI have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok because I won youth by 34 points,â Trump said in December. âAnd there are those that say TikTok had something to do with that.â
Trump signed an executive order to impose sanctions on TikTok in August 2020 (REUTERS )âThis TikTok scam by Trump is really something,â Ron Filipowski, a defense attorney and editor-in-chief of the left-leaning MeidasTouch news outlet said. âIn a few days, we will be hearing from Trump about how he âsaved Tik Tokâ & âbrought it back.â He literally created the problem by calling for a ban. Rs pass a law. It gets banned. It goes dark for a day or 2, then Trump âsavesâ it.â
Journalist Aaron Rupar said that Trump now has the big tech companies âworking on his behalf.â
âTrump hated TikTok (because China) until it helped him win an election (as even he acknowledges) and now heâs going to save it and take a victory lap,â Rupar said. âSo heâll have X, TikTok, Insta, and Facebook all working on his behalf. Thatâs a big difference between now and 2017.â
The message U.S. TikTok users were greeted with when the app went dark (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )Heath Mayo, founder of the conservative group Principles First, added: âTrump got China to place what amounts to a front-page ad on the phone of every American on TikTok. Selling out US national security to promote himself as some savior. Surprise, surprise.â
Senator Chris Murphy (D-Ct) said the move by Trump was âterrifying.â
âTikTok tucking itself in with Trump. Twitter under control of the White House. Facebook making major changes to placate MAGA, doing PR campaign to align w Trump,â Murphy wrote in a post on X. âDoes everyone not see whatâs happening here and how terrifying this is.â
Others shared dismay at the idea that Trump can effectively void a federal law. âIâm trying, and I hope other people will try, to hold onto the simple notion that a US president cannot simply declare a federal law that was passed last year and literally upheld this week to be a nullityâeven if itâs a not-so-hot law,â writer and lawyer Luppe B. Luppen said in a post on BlueSky. âThe Congress is the body that can amend or repeal federal laws.â
On August 6, 2020, Trump issued an executive order to impose sanctions on TikTok. âThe United States must take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security,â Trump said in the order.
It called for ByteDance to divest its U.S. interests or face sanctions, but Trumpâs effort to ban the app was then blocked by a federal judge.
Trump has thrown his support behind the app more recently (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)Since then, he has pledged support for the social media giant, even inviting TikTokâs CEO to his inauguration.
The Independent has contacted the Trump transition team for comment.
Trumpâs incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz defended the president-elect on Sunday.
He said that Trump was working in âreal timeâ with tech companies to reach an agreement for new US ownership of TikTok â something a number of his allies, including Canadaâs Kevin OâLeary, have also been at work seeking to make a reality.
Waltz also indicated that it was possible for TikTok to remain under Chinese ownership, albeit with âfirewallsâ (such as Americansâ data being stored in US-based servers) to guard against perceived national security threats.
Asked by CNNâs Dana Bash on State of the Union whether that meant "capitulating" to China by accepting a deal wherein the app was not sold, Waltz issued a denial.
âNo, no, no,â he told Bash. âBoth can be true at the same time. TikTok can continue to exist, and whether thatâs in American hands, owned by an American company, or whether the data and algorithms are fully protected from Chinese interference, thereâs a number of...formulas this can take.â
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