(USNewsBreak.com) – When former President Donald Trump was in office, he worked hard to ban the social media app TikTok in the United States. He cited national security concerns, considering the company that owns it, ByteDance, has ties to China. However, years removed from the White House, Trump appeared to raise concerns about efforts to ban the app.
On Monday, March 11, Trump appeared on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” where he discussed the video app. He expressed concerns about banning the platform, for one sole reason: he believes it would empower Meta, Facebook’s parent company. Trump then went on to call the popular social media site “an enemy of the people.”
Despite his fears about Facebook, Trump acknowledged there are still real security concerns regarding TikTok, which he said would turn over information if China demanded it. Yet, he doesn’t want to see Facebook “double the size.” He said the platform “has been very busy” and stands to “be a big beneficiary” if TikTok goes by the wayside. Moreover, Trump added, “Facebook has been very bad for our country,” especially regarding elections. Trump also noted TikTok’s pros and cons and stated, “a lot of people on” the platform “love it.”
Trump’s annoyance with Facebook isn’t anything new. He remains convinced the platform was always “anti-Trump,” and he called out Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, for donating $400 million to local charities supporting local election offices nationwide. Like several others, the platform banned him from participating for two years following his claims about the past election. Facebook and other platforms have reinstated his accounts.
On the other hand, President Joe Biden has pushed for a TikTok ban and said he would sign a bill prohibiting the app in the US if it should cross his desk.
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