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The hater-in-chief, Donald Trump, announced out of nowhere he is going to ban TikTok. The social media company has responded and said, not so fast.
Friday night, news broke that Donald Trump revealed to the press pool traveling with him on Air Force One that he is, in fact, going to ban the popular Chinese-owned social media tool. Trump claims he plans on making that happen by either using his favorite instrument to “get things done,” an executive order, or emergency powers to keep the platform from operating in the United States.
“As far as TikTok is concerned, we’re banning them from the United States,” the bootleg dictator told reporters on the taxpayer-funded jet. He added, “Well, I have that authority. I can do it with an executive order or that.”
Once the news hit Twitter timelines, users wonder could he actually do that? If you asked the ACLU, that would be an emphatic no. The organization spoke on Trump’s threat to ban the social media platform on Twitter, calling the decision “a danger to free expression and technologically impractical.
TikTok responded to Trump’s claims basically saying aht aht aht, we not going anywhere. In a statement released on Saturday, the company fired back at the orange menace and said it has no plans of ceasing operations in the United States.
In the statement, a spokesperson for TikTok spoke on how the platform has provided entertainment and connected millions of Americans during the pandemic while denying its Chinese owner’s shares user information with Beijing. It’s an unsubstantiated claim that many bipartisan lawmakers in Washington have been very suspicious of but have yet to prove.
“TikTok US user data is stored in the US, with strict controls on employee access. TikTok’s biggest investors come from the US. We are committed to protecting our users’ privacy and safety as we continue working to bring joy to families and meaningful careers to those who create on our platform.”
Accompanying the statement was a video reply from U.S. General Manager Vanessa Pappas defining the social media platform claiming it provides jobs to Americans and speaking on the measures the company is taking. In the video, Pappas says, “we’re not planning on going anywhere,” further adding, “we’re here for the long run.”
There were reports Microsoft was stepping in to save TikTok by purchasing it from the Beijing-owned company ByteDance. Trump also shot down, stating he doesn’t like the deal according to NBC News. Trump’s eagerness to ban TikTok have some believing the decision is more personal and really has nothing to do with him actually being worried about the nation’s national security.
Vogue reports that Trump’s decision to ban TikTok could be a product of actress and comedian, Sarah Cooper’s popular videos of herself mocking Trump and his ridiculous gaffs. Thanks to the hilarious TikTok posts where she accurately mimics Trump, she has gained a lot of popularity appearing on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon and The Ellen Show. She has also been featured in The Hollywood Reporter, The Washington Post and The New York Times. Cooper has already dropped a video of Trump claiming he is going to ban TikTok.
Others are also suggesting that Trump is still BIG MAD K-Pop stans on TikTok effectively sabotaged his Rona Rally in Tulsa, which more than likely lead to the death of the former presidential candidate and Trump supporter, Herman Cain.
If Trump does somehow manage to ban TikTok, you can always use Instagram’s alternative Reels, which is reportedly set to arrive in the United States sometime this month.
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