Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) praised President-elect Donald Trump for vowing to delay banning TikTok, but criticized TikTok, saying Trump is “not president right now.”
In her Instagram Story, Ocasio-Cortez referenced a message that appeared on TikTok after the social media app was reinstated in the United States for Americans to access. Ocasio-Cortez praised President Trump for calling on companies not to keep apps dark and for saying he would issue an executive order to delay banning social media apps, and criticized the app.
Ocasio-Cortez also criticized the app for referring to Trump as “President Trump,” noting that Trump is “not currently a president” and is still a “private citizen.”
“Welcome back! Thank you for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump's efforts, TikTok is back in the United States,” Ocasio-Cortez said while reading a message displayed on TikTok. “First of all, Donald Trump is not currently president. He is a private citizen. He does not have access to presidential powers and does not have the ability to do anything like that. That is why TikTok is not currently president of Trump.” Please note that the inclusion of their names is by choice. It suggests that they are collaborating informally. They have agreed to collaborate informally with Donald Trump and the Trump administration. .”
Ocasio-Cortez added that TikTok's decision to thank President Trump and call him “President Trump” means that “every social media platform” in the United States has been “taken over by the right.”
“What this essentially means is that every social media platform in the United States, every mass social media platform, has been taken over by the right wing,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “Aside from Bluesky, Bluesky is still very small, relatively speaking. When I say putting the pieces together, Elon Musk took over Twitter and there was open reporting. , it is also clear that the algorithm was artificially manipulated to promote right-wing content and amplify harassment on X.”
TikTok issued a statement on Sunday saying it was “in the process of restoring” access to U.S. users after President Trump said he would delay the ban. This statement came after President Trump said on Truth Social that, based on an executive order, “companies that helped undo the darkness on TikTok are not responsible.”
“I'm asking companies not to leave TikTok in the dark,” Trump wrote. “I will issue an executive order on Monday that will extend the time period until the legal ban goes into effect so that we can reach agreements to protect the security of our country. It confirms that we will not be held responsible for the companies that helped stop TikTok from going dark.”
TikTok's darkening in the US comes after a federal appeals court upheld a law requiring TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app or face a ban in the US. The ban will be imposed unless the president grants a 90-day extension, giving him until March 19 to either sell TikTok or face a fine.
