Was the whole TikTok drama a bait-and-switch to make Trump look good?
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Skeptics have highlighted how Trump was the one who initially called for the Chinese-owned social media app to be banned in 2020. The Chinese-owned social media app went dark in the U.S. on Saturday night and posted a message at about 10.30 p.m. Eastern time saying: “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”.
![[The message U.S. TikTok users were greeted with when the app went dark]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/19/13/TikTok_Ban_82599.jpg)
The Biden administration blasted TikTok’s statement as a “stunt” in a statement on Saturday. “I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok because I won youth by 34 points,” Trump said in December. “And there are those that say TikTok had something to do with that.”.
![[Trump has thrown his support behind the app more recently]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/19/04/Trump_Inauguration_89690.jpg)
Journalist Aaron Rupar said that Trump now has the big tech companies “working on his behalf.”. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Ct) said the move by Trump was “terrifying.”. It called for ByteDance to divest its U.S. interests or face sanctions, but Trump’s effort to ban the app was then blocked by a federal judge.
The Independent has contacted the Trump transition team for comment. Trump’s incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz defended the president-elect on Sunday. He said that Trump was working in “real time” with tech companies to reach an agreement for new US ownership of TikTok — something a number of his allies, including Canada’s Kevin O’Leary, have also been at work seeking to make a reality.
