On the morning of January 19 2024, the day before President Donald Trump’s inauguration, over 170 million Americans woke up to the realization that the app TikTok had been banned across the country. When the app was unbanned just 17 hours later users were ecstatic, but many Americans failed to realize the possible deeper meaning behind this ban.
The ban was a result of a law passed in congress last year that prohibited Americans from using TikTok on the basis that the app’s ties to China were a possible threat to national security.
When users opened the app during the 17 hour ban, a message appeared on their screen saying, “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S.”
The message continues, stating, “Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”
The fact that the app specifically named President Trump in its message is extremely uncommon, and is the reason many people see the temporary TikTok ban not as a threat to security, but as a political stunt.
The belief that the entire ban was a political maneuver to get TikTok users to favor the Trump administration is further supported by the message TikTok displayed after the ban was over.
The message displayed to TikTok users once they logged back into the app after the ban read, “Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the US! You can continue to create, share, and discover all the things you love on TikTok.”
Since his inauguration, Trump has signed an executive order postponing the ban of tiktok for up to 90 days, yet many people argue over the motives behind the executive order. “I think that Trump saved the app, but he did it to look like the hero,” says junior Murial Anderson.
During his first term, Trump appeared to be heavily against the app and seemed to lead the initiative on banning TikTok for Americans. However, it seems that in recent years he has changed his view on the matter.
To many Americans, it looks like the ban was just a ploy to make young TikTok users supportive of the Trump administration. TikTok is mainly targeted at youth, with the majority of TikTok users being under the age of 30, so it is entirely possible that the Trump administration saw the ban as an opportunity to gain favor among younger demographics.
To me, it is abundantly clear that the ban was much more than a potential security threat. It is extremely obvious, especially considering how TikTok name dropped Donald Trump in its public statement, that the ban was nothing more than a political stunt to shamelessly promote Donald Trump to the American youth.
