AI-Generated Image. Article: Trump TikTok Hypocrisy Continues by Tech Is The Culture.
The Trump TikTok Masterclass In Policy Whiplash
If consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, then the Donald Trump TikTok strategy is a five-star Michelin feast for intellectual giants. Four years ago, he vowed to ban the app, calling it a “national security threat.” Today, he’s its self-appointed savior, brokering hypothetical deals while dodging tariffs and legal landmines. Let’s unpack this geopolitical soap opera, where the only thing more unstable than TikTok’s future is Trump’s relationship with reality.
The Trump TikTok Ban That Wasn’t (A Timeline Of Flip-Flops)
In 2020, Trump declared TikTok a Chinese spy tool, threatening to ban it unless ByteDance sold its U.S. operations. His executive orders framed the app as a digital Trojan horse, citing fears of data harvesting and propaganda. Fast-forward to 2025: Trump’s now granting TikTok extensions like Oprah hands out cars, most recently pushing the divestment deadline to April 2025 while promising to “save” the app.
Why the change of heart? Trump claims TikTok’s algorithm might’ve helped him win the 2024 election. “I’m now a big star on TikTok,” he bragged, conveniently ignoring that the same app once hosted pranks that sabotaged his rally attendance. The Supreme Court upheld the ban in January 2025, but Trump, ever the dealmaker, swanned in with a 75-day enforcement pause, assuring companies they wouldn’t face penalties for hosting TikTok… for now.
The “Deal” That Defies Reality
The Trump TikTok “deal” is less a negotiation and more a game of Calvinball. The terms? Unclear. The buyers? A rotating cast of billionaires, including Amazon, Reddit’s co-founder, and even former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. The latest hiccup? Trump’s own tariffs on China scuttled negotiations, with Beijing refusing to play ball unless trade levies were rolled back.
ByteDance, meanwhile, insists a sale is “impossible” due to China’s export controls on TikTok’s algorithm. Undeterred, Trump floated the idea of the U.S. government acquiring a 50% stake, a proposal so baffling it makes Elon Musk’s Twitter purchase look like a Harvard Business School case study.
Legal Quicksand Of Executive Whims
Tech companies caught in this circus face trillion-dollar liabilities. Trump’s executive orders promise retroactive protection for firms like Oracle and Akamai, which resumed hosting TikTok despite the ban. But legal scholars warn these promises are about as reliable as a Twitter apology.
Why? Courts rarely shield companies that rely on presidential pinky swears. As Lawfare’s Alan Rozenshtein notes, Trump’s non-enforcement orders are “transparently an attempt to undermine the law,” leaving firms vulnerable to future administrations resurrecting penalties. Oracle, for instance, risks $5,000 fines per user, a cool $850 billion if all 170 million U.S. TikTokers log on. Yet, like contestants on The Apprentice, they’re betting Trump’s bluster will override common sense.
National Security Or Narcissism?
Trump’s original ban rationale for national security rested on hypotheticals: maybe China spies through TikTok. Maybe it brainwashes teens into supporting Taiwan’s independence. The D.C. Circuit Court greenlit the ban by citing fears of “pro-China propaganda” flooding feeds, despite zero evidence of such campaigns.
But let’s be real: The Trump TikTok obsession has always been personal. His 2020 ban followed pranksters using the app to tank his rally turnout. Now, he’s cozying up to TikTok’s U.S. CEO, Shou Chew, while his campaign floods the app with “America First” memes. As Amanda Marcotte quipped, “TikTok is a fascist’s dream,” a disinformation maelstrom where conspiracy theories thrive.
The Bigger Picture Is It Just A Playground For Power?
The Trump TikTok saga isn’t just about an app; it’s a blueprint for bending governance to personal whim. By weaponizing tariffs and executive orders, he’s turned policymaking into a reality show where the stakes are global internet freedom.
Critics warn this fuels a “splinternet,” where countries wall off digital spaces, mimicking China’s Great Firewall. The Atlantic’s Juliette Kayyem notes that banning TikTok “legitimizes censorship” worldwide, empowering regimes to silence dissent under the guise of national security. Meanwhile, Trump’s tariff tussles with China risk fragmenting tech markets further, forcing companies to pick sides in a digital Cold War.
The Trump TikTok Strategy (Only Certainty Is Chaos)
So, where does this leave TikTok? In limbo, with Trump dangling extensions like a toddler offering broccoli in exchange for ice cream. His hypothetical deals and legal gambits reveal a strategy built on vibes, not vision—a choose-your-own-adventure where every page reads, “And then Trump tweeted something.”
As for the rest of us? Buckle up. Whether TikTok survives or not, one thing’s clear: In Trump’s America, policy isn’t just hypothetical; it’s performance art.
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