Former President Donald Trump offered rare support for TikTok on Friday, suggesting congressional efforts to ban it would only help Facebook solidify its position in the social media landscape.
The post on Truth Social will be viewed as a reversal for Mr. Trump, who threatened to ban the app as part of a tough-on-China posture during his presidency.
Lawmakers in both parties fear that TikTok poses privacy and national security risks because it collects user data and is owned by a Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
“If you get rid of TikTok, Facebook and Zuckerschmuck will double their business. I don’t want Facebook, who cheated in the last Election, doing better. They are a true Enemy of the People!” Mr. Trump wrote.
He was alluding to so-called “Zuck Bucks,” or dollars that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg distributed through a foundation to help localities run their elections in 2020.
Democratic strongholds tended to snap up the dollars, so conservatives said it helped their rivals turn out votes.
Mr. Trump offered support for TikTok after a House committee advanced legislation that would require ByteDance to divest its ownership of the app within 165 days.
President Biden has signaled he would sign the bill.
Mr. Biden is offering mixed signals on TikTok, however. His reelection campaign joined the app and made its first posts during the Super Bowl.
TikTok is a delicate issue for candidates because the app is immensely popular with young Americans whose votes could make or break election bids.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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