Trump says he feels TikTok remains a national security risk, given its Chinese ownership
Former US president and presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said Monday that he fears that banning the Chinese-owned social app TikTok will only empower Facebook, which he called the “enemy of the people.” CNBC reported.
speaking for CNBCIn his “Squawk Box,” Trump said “there is a lot of good and a lot of bad” about TikTok, but banning the platform could effectively help Facebook, which is owned by Meta, which is twice the size of TikTok.
Trump said he feels TikTok remains a national security risk given its Chinese ownership, but he also shifted attention to Facebook, noting that the platform has similar privacy and security issues.
“Without TikTok, you can make Facebook bigger, and I consider Facebook to be an enemy of the people.”
By contrast, current President Joe Biden has said he would sign a bill to ban the app, if Congress approves it.
Trump said: “There are a lot of people on TikTok who love it. There are plenty of little kids on TikTok who will go crazy without it.
“If China wants some [TikTok]they will give it, then that is a risk to national security. [that] “It goes up,” Trump acknowledged. “But when I look at it, I'm not looking for Facebook to double in size. And if TikTok is banned, Facebook and others, but mainly Facebook, will be the big beneficiaries, and I think Facebook has been very busy.”
“I think Facebook has been very bad for our country, especially when it comes to the election,” Trump added.
