Any objective observer of Donald Trump has noticed that there are a few predictable constants that are evident in his demeanor and his governing style. They include his capacity for lying without shame, his egotistical exaltations of himself, and his compulsion to malign his critics with unwarranted and infantile insults.
Click here to Tweet this article
Another one of Trump’s true constants is his extraordinary ability to manufacture chaos over any subject and on a moment’s notice. It’s a skill that is useful for someone who is perpetually in need of phony controversies to deflect from his frequent inadequacies and grossly abhorrent and unpopular policy proposals. Or sometimes just to draw attention away from some offense to his tender sensitivities.
FOR INSTANCE: Snowflake Trump Blasts Seth Meyers and Threatens Comcast Because Jokes Hurt His Tender Fee Fees
The controversy surrounding the fate of TikTok has recently taken the center point on the media stage. While there is wide latitude for diverse opinions about whether it should be permitted to operate in the United States while owned by a company that is tightly tied to China, there are positions that can exceed the boundaries of propriety and even threaten national security.
Leave it to Trump to take a position that totally ignores those rational concerns and, instead, manages to wrap itself in the best interests of only Trump himself. On his failing Twitter ripoff, Truth Social, Trump posted his views that include his desire for Americans “to see our exciting Inauguration on Monday.” As if there were no other media platforms that will be presenting it. He was also worried about the financial prospects for the social media app, which he exaggerated is “worth hundreds of billions of dollars – maybe trillions.”
More to the point, Trump offered his proposal for “saving” TikTok from the evil American “communists” who seek to prohibit the app run by friendly Chinese communists. He posted that…
“I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark! I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.”
To be clear, the only reason that Trump is now concerned about TikTok staying dark is that he recently discovered that he’s getting millions of views of his TikTok videos. However, Trump’s claim that he will issue an executive order delaying the law’s prohibitions is a blatant violation of the law. An executive order cannot override a statute passed by Congress without some urgent national security justification. Watching his inauguration simply doesn’t measure up to that standard. But he was just getting started. Trump continued…
“I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture. […] Therefore, my initial thought is a joint venture between the current owners and/or new owners whereby the U.S. gets a 50% ownership in a joint venture set up between the U.S. and whichever purchase we so choose.”
Trump seems to think that the U.S. government can be a business partner with a Chinese social media company that is suspected of improperly utilizing data collected from American users. That is wrong on many levels. First of all, it puts the U.S. in the position of collaborating with China to “spy” on American citizens. Secondly, it makes the U.S. government a profit partner in an otherwise private business. And thirdly, it violates the First Amendment by putting the U.S. government in a position to moderate (i.e. approve and/or censor) the speech of U.S. citizens.
The U.S. government has no place in such a “partnership” with a Chinese business. Or any other business for that matter. If Trump goes through with this proposal, it must be challenged and rejected by the courts. He doesn’t have the right to structure illegal and unconstitutional business ventures just because they suit him personally. And it’s notable that even that determination on his part was a flagrant flip-flop from his prior position on TikTok…
As Trump tries to take credit for "saving" TikTok, remember he was the instigator of the ban & bragged about it 2 years ago. The bill he advocated was introduced by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX). Democrats opposed it."Right about everything"? More like right-wing about everything.
— News Corpse (@newscorpse.bsky.social) 2025-01-19T21:06:04.990Z
Whatever happens to TikTok, it should be based on the law. And if the law isn’t clear enough to protect the interests of the American people, it should be amended. The rights of the 170 million Americans who use TikTok also need to be considered. But sanctioning a single company for abusing that data is not a rational solution. All the companies that do so should be barred from that practice, including Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, etc.
RELATED STORIES:
- Trump’s Press Conference is the Best Evidence Yet that He is Positively, Irreparably Insane
- THE DAILY SHOW: Trump Gives Us a Reminder of What His Leadership Looks Like in Times of Crisis
- Trump Lashes Out Manically at Firefighters and Jack Smith in a Rabid Late-Night Freakout
Be sure to visit and follow News Corpse
on Twitter and Facebook and Bluesky and Threads.And check out my books on Amazon:
Fox Nation vs. Reality:
The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.Thanks so much for your support.
