"Trump Just Sold Out": Bizarre TikTok Flip-Flop Followed Meeting With Hedge Fund Manager Who Has $30 Billion Investment
Donald Trump is now to the left of President Biden when it comes to TikTok - with Biden telling reporters recently that if Congress passes a bipartisan proposal that could ban the Chinese-owned video-sharing app on national security grounds (whether it actually poses a threat or not), "I'll sign it."
The comment came after the House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously passed the bipartisan bill that would force the sale of TikTok by ByteDance, or face a ban in the United States. According to Punchbowl News, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise wants it on the floor Wednesday of this week.
Former President Trump, however - despite repeatedly pushing for a TikTok ban or sale when he was President, has done a complete 180 on the company - and now claims that TikTok, the alleged national security risk, should be allowed to continue on because getting rid of it would benefit Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook.
"If you get rid of TikTok, Facebook and Zuckerschmuck will double their business," Trump posted to Truth Social.
He reiterated the comments in a Monday appearance on CNBC.
“Without TikTok, you can make Facebook bigger, and I consider Facebook to be an enemy of the people,” Trump told @SquawkCNBC on Monday.https://t.co/xR6QQcMJcr pic.twitter.com/36Dh5Fk2Ux
— CNBC (@CNBC) March 11, 2024
Earlier in Trump's answer he seemingly blamed 'lobbyists' for Congress's inability to ban TikTok when he was president.
Trump is asked a simple question about TikTok, and he’s unable to answer. He stumbles and mumbles gibberish, and cannot form a coherent thought or sentence. (Video: CNBC) pic.twitter.com/giABEzjpa9
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) March 11, 2024
...yet, that appears to be exactly what happened to Trump - who recently met with billionaire fund manager and GOP donor Jeff Yass, who has a stake in TikTok worth more than $30 billion, according to Punchbowl News.
Yass is a big financial backer of the conservative group Club for Growth, which was anti-Trump before recently turning pro-Trump. Yass has given $10 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund — the House GOP-aligned super PAC — this cycle, as well as another $250,000 to a joint leadership fund for Speaker Mike Johnson.
2) Politico reported this weekend that Kellyanne Conway, the former top Trump aide, “is being paid by the conservative Club for Growth to advocate for TikTok.” Conway — who isn’t registered as a TikTok lobbyist — called some members about Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi’s (D-Ill.) TikTok bill before Thursday’s markup, sources close to the issue said. -Punchbowl News
On Sunday, The National Pulse reported that former Trump aide Kellyanne Conway has begun lobbying for TikTok - and is "claiming regulatory ‘guardrails’ would be better, peddling the pro-CCP line to Congress members."
This isn't about whether TikTok is actually a national security threat, or about limiting free speech on a platform (that regularly curates degeneracy to American children). Trump's flip-flop was very clearly due to outside influence.
On March 1, Trump got a bunch of money from formerly critical GOP mega-donor Jeff Yass, an investor in ByteDance.
— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) March 8, 2024
Less than a week later, he is now suddenly in favor of continued Chinese ownership of TikTok. pic.twitter.com/uuvVqxKUjZ
Meanwhile, potential Trump VP Vivek Ramaswamy also began the 'it's complicated' messaging on TikTok. Hmm...
Bashing TikTok is easy. Understanding the actual issue is harder. President Trump just came out opposing the pending legislation. Here’s why that’s right: we need to end *all* forced data transfers to the CCP, regardless of ownership. pic.twitter.com/sp8PrrERZ2
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) March 9, 2024
According to Punchbowl, Trump's TikTok flip-flop, "has caused a big headache inside the House GOP leadership," as Speaker Mike Johnson, Steve Scalise and GOP Conference chair Elise Stefanik (a possible Trump VP pick) are solidly behind the TikTok bill - with Stefanik being a cosponsor.
There have been some efforts by the GOP leadership to have Trump allies — especially in the national security realm — lobby Trump on the bill, which is slated to be voted on Wednesday.
Officially, House Republican leadership isn’t yet whipping the TikTok bill. The legislation is coming to the floor under suspension of the rules, which will require a two-thirds majority for passage. -Punchbowl News
Trump's shift has not gone unnoticed.
In completely unrelated news, Trump last week touted his renewed friendship with TikTok billionaire Jeff Yass who has been lobbying behind the scenes to stop the forced sale https://t.co/G2ZsDsBnZm
— Sunny (@sunnyright) March 11, 2024
Trump on TikTok, then and now. pic.twitter.com/yWXDxxOfLr
— Dispropaganda (@Dispropoganda) March 11, 2024
LOL. The real funny part is Facebook is more right wing than most sites...including TikTok. Trump just sold out.
— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) March 11, 2024
Trump says a TikTok ban would empower Meta, slams Facebook as 'enemy of the people' https://t.co/y6QOSbVoQH
Maybe Trump should keep bragging about his 'safe and effective' vaccine while he's at it...