'Trump is for sale': Internet slams ex-prez for saying Facebook must also be banned if TikTok bill passes
PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: Former President Donald Trump restated his disapproval of the proposition of banning TikTok.
This comes as the Senate considers bringing up the House-passed bill that would either force the social video platform to be sold or banned altogether.
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In addition to opposing the TikTok ban, Trump also criticized Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, for his sizable donations to nonprofits that backed changes to voting infrastructure in swing states ahead of the 2020 election, per DailyMail.
The 2024 GOP presidential nominee argued that Zuckerberg's involvement in the election should have been illegal.
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Trump went on to suggest that if TikTok were to be banned, it would only serve to benefit Meta's other products, such as Facebook and Instagram.
Despite Trump's opposition, the future of TikTok in the United States remains uncertain, and lawmakers are continuing to debate the best course of action.
What did Donald Trump say regarding Congressional effort to ban TikTok?
The 77-year-old MAGA strongman took to his beleaguered social networking platform, Truth Social, on Thursday and wrote in all-caps, “TIKTOK IS LESS OF A DANGER TO THE USA THAN META (FACEBOOK!), WHICH IS A TRUE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE. THEY SPENT $500,000,000 AGAINST ME AND OUR GREAT REPUBLICAN PARTY, “LOCKBOXES” AND ALL, AND SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO DO THAT. TIKTOK DIDN’T.”
The former president's remark about 'lockboxes' most likely describes ballot drop boxes, which allow voters to drop off completed ballots outside polling sites.
Trump even proposed banning both social media platforms for that matter, provided there are curbs on election expenditure by large tech conglomerates such as Facebook on election infrastructure.
“LIKE CROOKED JOE BIDEN, FACEBOOK IS A GREAT THREAT TO DEMOCRACY, AND IT WILL ONLY GET BIGGER AND STRONGER IF TIKTOK IS TAKEN OUT. DO THEM BOTH? - AND RESTRICT THE MONEY ALLOWED TO BE SPENT ON POLITICS, AND LOCKBOXES, BY META/FACEBOOK!!!” he concluded.
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The House of Representatives passed a bill that aims to ban TikTok by a large bipartisan margin of 352-65.
However, the future of the bill is still uncertain in the House of Senate, although it has garnered major support.
When asked if he would bring up the bill in the Senate, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer did not convey a sense of urgency on Wednesday, saying, “The Senate will review the legislation when it comes over from the House.”
On the other hand, the White House has expressed its desire to see the bill passed, as President Joe Biden has stated that he would sign it if it were to reach his desk in the Oval Office.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One, “We hope the Senate takes action, and takes this up very quickly.”
Internet slams Donald Trump for sticking up for TikTok
Readers online have expressed their concerns as former president Trump appears desparate to halt the proceedings for the bill to ban the short-form video platform.
One person commented, "Trump is for sale...Donald Trump was one of the first to want to ban TikTok. (But that was because some teenage girls hurt his feelings on the platform.) Now Trump is a defender of TikTok. Why... Because one of their major investors may back Trump's campaign. Trump will go wherever the money is. Even to our enemies."
Another reader quipped, "The American definition of privacy is that someone's making sure you can only be spied on by the right people."
Someone else claimed, "He's going against Meta because Zuckerberg won't suck up to him and buy his failed social media site."
One reader wrote, "Here we go with the absurd decisions being driven purely by his ego instead of what citizens actually care about."
Another person remarked, "Trump is a great threat to democracy!"
Someone else said, "I'm sure that Trump finds anything that could be in competition with Truth Social to be a threat to democracy."
This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.
