Donald Trump says only he can ‘save’ TikTok from a ban, here’s why

Donald Trump

One of the world’s most popular apps — TikTok — faces an imminent ban in the US, unless it manages to divest its business. TikTok has found a vociferous supporter in none other than US president-elect Donald Trump. In an amicus brief filed to the Supreme Court, Trump made strong arguments on why he remains the only hope for the social media platform. “President Trump opposes banning TikTok in the United States at this juncture, and seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office,” Trump’s lawyers told the Supreme Court.

In the brief filed, Trump’s lawyers mention that “President Trump alone possesses the consummate dealmaking expertise, the electoral mandate, and the political will to negotiate a resolution to save the platform while addressing the national security concerns expressed by the Government.”

Trump further argued in the brief that he currently has 14.7 million followers on TikTok with whom he actively communicates. This allows him “to evaluate TikTok’s importance as a unique medium for freedom of expression, including core political speech.”

The other argument made by Trump is the fact that he owns a social media platform called Truth Social. As per the brief filed, owning Truth Social gives Trump “an in-depth perspective on the extraordinary government power attempted to be exercised in this case—the power of the federal government to effectively shut down a social-media platform favored by tens of millions of Americans, based in large part on concerns about disfavored content on that platform.”