Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) has criticized President Trump regarding what Democrats have called a scheme to exert political influence on Tiktok’s platform.
Trump granted Buitedan, the app’s parent firm, an extension of 75 days from the Saturday deadline for a sale or ban. Various companies, such as Amazon, Oracle, and Blackstone, have shown interest in acquiring apps ahead of deadlines.
“This is completely illegal. Trump seems to be setting the stage for one of his political supporters to take over Tiktok and finalize a deal that turns it into a Maga propaganda outlet,” Murphy stated. Saturday’s post on Social Platform x.
Since the upcoming 2024 presidential election, several have criticized President Trump’s connections with the business community, including figures like Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Oracle’s Larry Ellison.
“The speculations will keep partially controlling China,” vocal Trump adversary Murphy noted in his Saturday post concerning the extension.
The Hill contacted the White House for a response.
Earlier this week, officials from the Trump administration highlighted that a contract signed before April 5 would soon be revealed. However, dissatisfaction from China regarding Trump’s sweeping tariffs, including a 34% tax on the nation, has hindered a clear course of action.
“We aim to continue collaborating with China in good spirit. I recognize that I am not particularly pleased with our mutual tariffs (necessary for fair and balanced trade between China and the US!),” the president remarked. “This demonstrates that tariffs are a powerful economic tool and are crucial for national security! We do not want Tiktok to be ‘dark.’
Chinese officials have called for the abrupt taxes to be revoked, stating that Trump’s new trade policies violated World Trade Organization rules.
“We have a situation with Tiktok where China likely says they consent to the deal, but they’ll address tariffs. Tariffs provide us considerable leverage in negotiations. They have always had it. I utilized it quite frequently during the first administration.”
Last week, the president hinted at a possible choice to offer “minor reductions, like tariffs,” in return for finalized agreements on the video platform.
Additional companies that have shown interest in acquiring Tiktok include Prplexity AI, Microsoft, and several other US-based firms.
