The Make America Great Again (MAGA) super PAC, aligned with former President Trump, has joined TikTok under the handle @MAGA. This move highlights the app’s growing influence in reaching younger voters, despite ongoing bipartisan efforts to potentially ban it. Notably, Trump, who previously sought to ban TikTok while in office, has not commented on MAGA Inc.’s presence on the platform and does not have an account himself.
MAGA Inc.’s inaugural video on TikTok criticizes President Biden’s economic policies, while another post takes aim at independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for his longstanding ties to the Democratic Party. Trump’s shift in stance regarding TikTok occurred when President Biden supported measures to either sell the app’s parent company or face a ban, a move Trump believed would benefit Facebook, a platform he frequently criticized for censoring right-wing content.
Biden’s recent actions stem from concerns that TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, could potentially use the app for espionage on U.S. users. The legislation signed by Biden requires ByteDance to divest its stake in TikTok within a year, as part of a $95 billion foreign aid package supported by both parties in Congress. Despite Trump’s attempts to ban TikTok being blocked by courts, Biden’s administration has continued to pursue measures to address national security concerns associated with the app.
In a separate development, Biden’s campaign has maintained a presence on TikTok under the handle @bidenhq since February, using the platform to engage with young voters. TikTok itself has filed a lawsuit challenging the potential ban, arguing that it violates the First Amendment and that the timeline for a sale is unfeasible. TikTok’s legal challenges have been successful in the past, and its current lawsuit reflects its determination to resist attempts to ban its operations.
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