Now that former President Donald Trump has become a TikTok star just weeks after joining the controversial social media app, opposition to the platform appears to have lessened. Vocal China hawks have softened their claims that the app poses a national security risk, perhaps because they recognize that leaders in both parties may embrace the app as an avenue for protected speech and win over new voters in the process. The fear-mongering by some politicians who have never credibly demonstrated the existence of a national security threat is based on political expediency, not fact.
With approximately 150 million monthly active users in the United States, TikTok has become a key messaging tool for leaders like President Trump and President Joe Biden. The app is primarily used by young people, and much of the content features singing and dancing as a form of self-expression. However, the app is also emerging as a platform to share political and policy messages with the American public. This type of content is consistent with the freedom of speech protected by the Bill of Rights.
In a recent post, President Trump gleefully vowed to “save TikTok.”
Research has shown that TikTok effectively reaches younger people who are a different demographic from older Americans who consume news. A recent Pew Research Center study found that “one-third of U.S. adults use TikTok, including the majority of adults under 30 years old.” This includes 62% of adults under 30 and 39% of adults between the ages of 30 and 49.
Trump and his campaign wisely jumped at the chance to reach a typically hard-to-reach demographic of young voters, and they were wildly successful. 6.9 million followers His first three posts garnered more than 137 million, 124 million, and 15 million views on TikTok, respectively. Mediaite A recent summary of the phenomenon reads: “Trump has since far out-endorsed TikTok than Biden, not only joining the app this month but promising not to ‘never’ ban it if he’s re-elected.” postPresident Trump gleefully vowed to “save TikTok.”
Trump’s moves are increasingly in line with national sentiment. Pew Research Survey says “Support for banning TikTok in the U.S. is[s] That has “decreased,” with only 38% now supporting a ban, “down from 50% in March 2023.”
Given the app’s sheer number of users across the country, those who continue to push for a ban risk running into a wall of disgruntled voters — and, as election observers have noted, TikTok’s young, largely demographic of users could determine the winner in three battleground states that could determine the overall winner in November’s election: Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
In September, two months before the presidential election, the Biden administration plans to appeal the TikTok ban to a federal appeals court. This is political malpractice and bad policy. A president, whether Biden or Trump, should not have the power to infringe on free speech by banning social media apps he doesn’t like.
Senator Rand Paul A Republican congressman from Kentucky recently pointed out the hypocrisy of politicians who vehemently oppose censorship but are now “defending censorship” by supporting bans, correctly emphasizing that Americans should “believe in freedom” and be able to make personal decisions about whether or not to use apps.
Trump’s participation in TikTok could be the catalyst for him being brought back to the White House, but either way, his actions have dramatically changed the debate on bans. Let’s hope that common sense continues and that freedom of speech is respected in our country.
