On January 19, 2025, the short-form video app known as TikTok was banned in the United States. Anyone in the country who tried opening the app would be met with a pop-up that read: “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for 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 very next day, the app’s functions were restored. However, the law still required app stores to prohibit U.S. users from downloading TikTok. While the app is functional for the time being, President Trump has not completely reversed the ban, rather he has provided additional time before the app’s official ban. He claims this is so they can “make a deal to protect our national security,” as he shared on Truth Social.. However, whether or not he can actually commit to his promise is uncertain as this law is backed by the Supreme Court, signed by Biden, and passed by Congress.
So, why did TikTok get banned in the first place? To put it simply, the U.S. government believes that the company ByteDance is connected to the Chinese government. Officials are worried that TikTok spreads propaganda and provides the Chinese government with sensitive information about its American users.
If you’ve been keeping up with the news, you might be wondering why Trump suddenly wants to support TikTok. In 2020, Trump tried and failed to ban TikTok, which raises concerns about why he promises to help out now. The two main theories circulating around this matter is that the app availed his campaign in 2024, gaining the favor of young voters. He also changed his mind around the time he met with a big investor in the company, though Trump responded to these allegations in a CNBC interview, claiming, “No, I didn’t. I met with him very briefly. I made a speech and I said hello to him and his wife was lovely.”
However, the following evidence may suggest Trump safeguarded TikTok in order to gain and maintain the favor of young voters, since the app serves as a gateway between them. Firstly, Donald Trump has accumulated 15.2 million followers on the site while his competitor Kamala Harris has amassed 9.2 million. Secondly, Trump reportedly gains 5-8x more views on TikTok than Instagram. Finally, Trump held an advantage over Harris in terms of young voters standing at 52% compared to 46% young voters for Harris.
That’s all on the TikTok ban for now. What are your thoughts? Do you think TikTok should be banned? What are Trump’s true intentions behind protecting this social media platform? Will he be able to successfully stop the ban from happening? Stay tuned to figure out what will happen next.
