Former President Donald Trump has expressed strong criticism against proposed legislation aimed at banning TikTok in the United States. In a statement on Truth Social, Trump targeted Facebook and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, for what he perceives as their detrimental influence.
Trump stated: “Eliminating TikTok might inadvertently boost Facebook and Zuckerberg’s fortunes. My preference is against enhancing Facebook, which I believe manipulated the previous election’s outcome. They truly oppose the populace!”
The legislative initiative gaining traction among U.S. legislators on Wednesday seeks to compel TikTok to cut ties with its Chinese parent entity, ByteDance, to avert a U.S. prohibition. The measure is driven by concerns to prevent social media platforms from falling under the influence of foreign adversaries, as reported by AFP.
A coalition of 20 bipartisan lawmakers introduced legislation prohibiting operations in the U.S. by platforms under ByteDance’s control unless they dissociate from China.
Trump’s past actions while in office included a 2020 commitment to ban TikTok’s U.S. operations, leading to an executive directive demanding ByteDance divest its American interests in TikTok. However, this order faced legal challenges and was ultimately obstructed by a judicial ruling, as reported by The Hill.
