Trump Blames Biden for TikTok Ban, Alleges Facebook Favoritism

Former President Donald Trump has intensified his criticism of President Joe Biden regarding the proposed ban on TikTok, suggesting that Biden’s support for the ban is motivated by a desire to benefit Facebook. Trump’s comments came after a super PAC aligned with him joined TikTok, apparently to engage younger voters ahead of the November election. Trump alleges that Biden is actively pushing for TikTok’s closure to help Facebook become “richer and more dominant.”

Trump’s claims stem from Biden’s signing of a foreign aid package last month, which mandated that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, sell the platform or face a ban in the U.S. Trump, in a post on Truth Social, a platform he backs, argued that Biden is responsible for the potential ban on TikTok, suggesting that Biden’s actions are influenced by a desire to assist Facebook in its efforts against the Republican Party.

The former president has consistently blamed Biden for the potential ban, claiming it would benefit Facebook. Trump has been critical of Facebook, accusing it of removing right-wing misinformation and supporting Democrats. He has also alleged, inaccurately, that Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg donated $500 million to Democrats, when in fact, Zuckerberg and his wife donated to non-profits assisting with elections during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In March, as bipartisan support grew in Congress for a bill that could lead to the ban of TikTok, Trump argued that TikTok posed less of a threat to the U.S. than Facebook and its parent company, Meta. He labeled Meta as the “enemy of the people.”

The Make America Great Again super PAC’s decision to join TikTok marks a significant shift in strategy, considering Trump’s previous attempts to ban the app during his presidency. Biden’s campaign also joined TikTok in February, despite concerns raised by the Biden administration regarding national security.

Biden signed a $95 billion foreign aid package last month, which included the provision requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban in the U.S. This move followed bipartisan criticism over TikTok’s alleged ties to the Chinese government and concerns over the security of U.S. user data. ByteDance has nine months to find a buyer for TikTok, with a potential three-month extension if negotiations are ongoing.

TikTok has filed a lawsuit challenging the potential ban, arguing that it could violate the First Amendment by excluding roughly 170 million Americans from the app. TikTok also stated that a sale within nine months is “simply not possible.”

In terms of polling, Trump currently leads Biden by 0.7% in FiveThirtyEight’s latest weighted polling average, with 41.4% of voters supporting Trump compared to 40.7% for Biden. Analysts are concerned about Biden’s standing in multiple swing states, where independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could potentially draw votes away from him. A recent Morning Consult/Bloomberg poll found Trump leading in six of seven key swing states, with Biden holding a narrow lead only in Michigan.