Trump Expresses Support for TikTok, Criticizes Facebook and Instagram

In a recent interview with Bloomberg, former US President Donald Trump made clear his support for TikTok, the popular Chinese-owned social media platform that is currently facing a ban in the US. “Now that I think about it, I’m all for TikTok, because you need competition. If you don’t have TikTok, you have Facebook and Instagram — and that, you know, is Zuckerberg,” Trump said in the interview. The former president also bitterly recalled the ban that Facebook imposed on him following the events of January 6, 2021, when a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol. “All of a sudden, I went from being number one to having nobody,” Trump said, underlining his disappointment.

During the interview, Trump continued to criticize Zuckerberg, highlighting what he sees as a lack of competition in U.S. social media. Trump said TikTok’s presence is critical to ensuring balance in the social media market, which is dominated by Facebook and Instagram. He stressed the importance of competition for innovation and freedom of expression, reiterating his belief that TikTok offers a necessary and viable alternative to Zuckerberg’s social media giants. The stance comes at a sensitive time, as TikTok continues to face scrutiny for its data practices and connections to the Chinese government. Despite these concerns, Trump appears to see TikTok as a means to rebalance the balance of power in the social media landscape by providing a platform that challenges the duopoly of Facebook and Instagram.