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August 1, 2020 1:03AM EDT
Many Americans could be in for a rude awakening by not being able to post dance videos to TikTok. President Trump said he’s banning the Chinese owned video-sharing app from U.S. operations.
What are Americans going to do without viral TikTok dance challenges? We may soon find out as President Donald Trump, 74, said he’s going to make good on his threat to ban the Chinese owned video app TikTok from operating in the U.S. He told reporters aboard Air Force One on July 31 that, “As far as TikTok is concerned, we’re banning them from the United States.” Trump then added that he could make it happen with just the stroke of a pen as soon as Aug. 1. “Well, I have that authority. I can do it with an executive order or that (emergency economic powers)” he explained. Trump also told the press pool that he is against a U.S. company buying TikTok’s American operations, as Microsoft had reportedly been eyeing a purchase.
Trump has been against any Chinese owned social media apps in the U.S. marketplace, fearing national security concerns. His Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned about a TikTok ban during a July 6 appearance on Fox News. He said that, “We are taking this very seriously. We are certainly looking at it,” and that, “With respect to Chinese apps on peoples’ cellphones, the United States will get this one right.”
When asked by Fox News‘s Laura Ingraham if Americans should download TikTok, he replied, “Only if you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.” TikTok claimed in a statement it hasn’t given any U.S. user information to the Chinese government and that the company has “no higher priority than promoting a safe app experience that protects our users’ privacy.” The app is run by the Beijing-based company ByteDance.
President Donald Trump participates in a roundtable discussion on the coronavirus outbreak in Belleair, FL on July 31, 2020, just hours before he announced is plan to ban TikTok in the U.S. Photo credit: AP Images
On Twitter, folks greeted the news with memes of what TikTok “
