Donald Trump mocked for reversing stance on TikTok as he says he will ‘never ban’ it

WASHINGTON, DC: Former president Donald Trump gave his firmest stance about the future of TikTok in the United States if he gets elected for a second term in the White House.

The 45th president joined Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk on a TikTok video on Thursday, June 6, and stated he would "never ban" the short video app during his presidential tenure, according to the New York Post.

However, Trump's latest stance on the Chinese government-linked social media platform indicated a reversal of his earlier stance. The former president had initially opposed TikTok and banned the app in the United States in 2020 through an executive order.

Furthermore, he joined the popular platform on June 1 from the verified account @realDonaldTrump with a video of his appearance at the UFC 302 bout.

Since his debut, the billionaire outpaced President Joe Biden and Robert F Kennedy Jr, securing 5.6 million followers, as per CBS News.

Donald Trump opposes TikTok ban

Appearing alongside Kirk in a TikTok video, Trump talked about his strategy to connect with younger voters.

"Well, the big message is vote for Trump. We're going to make our country greater than ever before," the former president said. He also called Biden the "worst president in history".

Kirk then stated, "You'll never ban TikTok. That's for sure."

"I will never ban TikTok," Trump assured.

Kirk shared the video with the caption "TikTok's favorite president."

Concerns regarding threats to national security have put the popular social media platform under intense scrutiny due to its parent company, ByteDance's connection to the Chinese Communist Party.

In April, President Biden enacted a law requiring ByteDance to sell the app within six months or face a US ban, a process that could take around nine months to implement.

Trump, who had previously pushed for the ban, criticized his successor over the move in an attempt to attract young people, the majority users of the app.

In a Truth Social post following the President signing the bill, the real estate mogul claimed that the "young people" should know Biden was responsible for the TikTok ban to help Facebook get richer and illegally fight the Republican party.

"It's called ELECTION INTERFERENCE! Young people, and lots of others, must remember this on November 5th, ELECTION DAY, when they vote! They also must remember, more importantly, that he is destroying our Country, and is A MAJOR THREAT TO DEMOCRACY!" Trump wrote.

However, the Biden campaign still uses TikTok for its younger voter outreach.

Moreover, Trump's sudden love for the Chinese-owned app could be due to his reported meeting with one of his major donors, Jeffrey Yass, who owns a 15% stake in ByteDance.

Internet reacts to Donald Trump's vow to 'never ban' TikTok

Social media users brutally ridiculed the former president for promising not to ban TikTok, reversing his earlier stance.

One user wrote, "Trump is for sale, his Tik Tok advocacy makes that much clear. He says “I’ll never ban Tik Tok” not “the TikTok bill is written badly and is a risk to the 1A” Protecting Tik Tok is his goal. That isn’t America First. It’s Trump donor Jeff Yass first."

Another remarked, "Because President Trump became the king of Tik Tok in like 3 days."

"Smart pivot. He read the tea leaves. The GOP base doesn't want TikTok dismantled, just regulated," added a third user.

A fourth response read, "Just like with deportations, debt, 2A, taxes Etc. trumps proven he’ll flip if he’s paid enough. He’s sold out on just about every topic for $."

Another person said, "He literally said he would ban Tik Tok a few years ago Good marketing but this man will say anything for votes lol he better than Biden though."

"If conservatives ever had any doubt about Trump, his complete sell out to the billionaire and flip flop on TikTok should end the debate. Trump is a cancer," someone else opined.

An individual wrote, "Lol he wanted it ban but now lying to the young folks just cause he wants their vote pathetic!!"

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