Trump Shouldn’t Waste His Political Capital On ‘Saving’ TikTok

The deadline for TikTok is fast approaching, creating a sense of urgency as we near this weekend.

Just over eight months ago, the U.S. Congress, in a rare display of bipartisan cooperation, passed legislation signed into law by President Joe Biden. This law requires TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest the app and secure a new owner by Jan. 19, 2025, or face a ban in the United States — a deadline that falls on this Sunday. The intent of this legislation is clear: to safeguard national security by addressing the legitimate concerns that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could access the data from 170 million U.S. users and manipulate it.

Instead of pursuing a swift divestment, ByteDance and TikTok’s leadership have opted to engage in prolonged legal battles, trying to overturn the legislation in court. Their tactic has involved misleading the public, framing the law as an outright ban while neglecting to acknowledge the possibility of divestment. They claim that banning the app constitutes censorship and infringes upon American users’ free speech rights. This argument is deeply flawed; as a Chinese company, ByteDance is vulnerable to the influence of the CCP, known for its severe suppression of free expression.

The stakes are too high to ignore — protecting American data and upholding national security must come first.

Rather than being a champion of free speech, TikTok is known to extend the CCP’s censorship to non-Chinese citizens, including Americans. For example, the TikTok account of Feroza Aziz, an American TikTok star, was deleted after she posted a video criticizing Beijing’s mass internment of Uyghur Muslims. Her account was only reinstated after public outrage. 

Fortunately, a U.S. federal court saw through TikTok’s flawed rationale. In December 2024, the court ruled in favor of the law, emphasizing to ByteDance and their American attorneys: “The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States. Here the Government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary’s ability to gather data on people in the United States.”

In a desperate attempt to salvage their situation, TikTok appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. However, during last Friday’s hearing, the majority of justices appeared unconvinced by TikTok’s First Amendment claims. ByteDance further undermined its argument by stating that divestment isn’t feasible because TikTok’s source code and engineering are under the control of its Chinese parent company. This revelation confirmed suspicions held by critics who have long viewed the app as a tool of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and a legitimate national security threat to the United States.

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule this Friday, likely against TikTok, which could see the app removed from U.S. stores by Sunday.

Just as TikTok faces a potential ban in a few days, an unexpected twist occurred. President-elect Donald Trump surprised many by deciding to use his political influence to save the app. At the end of December 2024, he filed a brief asking the Supreme Court to delay its ruling until after Jan. 19, aiming to negotiate a divestment deal for TikTok.

Trump’s intervention is noteworthy, especially considering that during his first term Trump sought to ban TikTok, only to have a federal court block his order. Speculation suggests that he may have reconsidered his stance due to TikTok’s potential role in boosting his appeal among young voters. Additionally, rumors are swirling that figures in Trump’s circle might be interested in purchasing TikTok himself, adding yet another agitating element to this unfolding saga, and TikTok CEO Shou Chew will reportedly be seated with Trump’s “high-profile guests” at Monday’s inauguration ceremony.

Until now, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has staunchly opposed any legislation aimed at divestment from its interests. Recently, however, The Wall Street Journal reported that Chinese officials are showing a surprising openness to the prospect of Elon Musk investing in or potentially acquiring TikTok’s U.S. operations.

The CCP’s preference for Musk seems strategic for several compelling reasons. Musk consistently lauds China and its government, likely due to his substantial business ties there. Tesla’s Shanghai facility stands as the company’s largest factory, producing an astonishing 50 percent of its global vehicle output. This gives the CCP a unique opportunity to view Musk’s interests as a leverage point to sway negotiations.

Most critically, Musk’s apparent rapport with President-elect Trump allows the CCP to believe it can influence the incoming administration’s China policy and mitigate the effects of the China hawks among Trump cabinet appointments, like secretary of state nominee Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.

As a long-time critic of TikTok, I urge President-elect Trump to reconsider investing his political capital in “saving” TikTok. This app is not worth the effort. Beyond being a national security risk, TikTok has a troubling reputation for “brainwashing” American youth. Recent research highlights this alarming trend: “The more time users spent on TikTok, the more positively they view China’s human rights record and its appeal as a travel destination.”

We must prioritize the protection of our youth from such insidious influences. Why would the president of the United States wish to empower an app controlled by our adversaries to distort the perspectives of young Americans?

Divesting TikTok’s ownership is not a viable solution either. Although the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) may seem open to scenarios where someone close to Trump, such as Elon Musk, invests in TikTok’s U.S. operations, there is no evidence to suggest that ByteDance will relinquish control of the app’s source code or algorithm. If that remains the case, acquiring a mere shell of TikTok U.S. is futile, as the new owner would stay under the CCP’s influence. Furthermore, delaying the Supreme Court’s ruling and giving TikTok a last-minute reprieve undermines the integrity of the U.S. congressional legislative process and damages our country’s reputation regarding the rule of law.

Starting next week, Trump will encounter significant challenges, from immigration and inflation to the Russia-Ukraine war and conflicts in the Middle East. He has pressing matters to address. He must focus on these critical issues rather than TikTok. Letting TikTok go and enforcing the ban it deserves is the right course of action.