990WBOB
  • WBOB Radio
  • Crush Cancer
  • Past Casts
  • Weather
  • Contact
  • About
    • WBOB Press Releases
    • Join Our Team!
    • CHARITY GALA

What is Trump's goal with TikTok?

9/18/2020

Comments

 
Picture
Mark Colley

Donald Trump is playing some sort of game with the lifeline of TikTok. In August, the president signed an executive order that will effectively ban the video-making social media platform unless it is sold to an American company by Sept. 20, a deadline that looms just days away.

Yet pushes by American companies have, so far, been unsuccessful. A joint bid from Microsoft and Walmart failed to win the day, and now Oracle, a database company, seems to be leading the pack.

So what sort of political game is Trump playing, and why did he get himself into this mess?
This is a complicated issue. The roots of national security, intellectual property, constitutional responsibility and national identity run deep throughout this conversation, and they intersect at a confusing juncture.

Here’s the basics: TikTok, owned by a Chinese company, is said to pose a national security risk for its collection of the personal data of Americans. It also poses a risk in its questionable content control — including allegations of censorship that led to a trend of Trojan-Horse-esq posts.

Despite the politicization of the issue today, this wasn’t always partisan. A POLITICO article from Novemeber, 2019, called “The Trouble With TikTok,” reads: “Just as any article about Facebook would be incomplete if it ignored Facebook’s history of apologies for admitted privacy violations, any article about TikTok that omits its record of censorship and illegal behavior is irresponsible.”

But America also enjoys the First Amendment, and banning a social media platform — despite all of its risks — could be seen as violating the free speech of Americans.

Regardless of the side Trump should be on — which, to this writer, is unclear — it is easier to tackle the question of politics. Why is Trump attempting to ban TikTok? What is the political calculus behind his pursuit?

For one, it can’t hurt him. Sixty-nine percent of US TikTok users are 24 or younger — by comparison, only 37 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds voted for Trump in 2016. The demographic that is most affected and, in turn, most upset by Trump’s pursuit wasn’t going to vote for him anyway.

But it can also deliver Trump an easy political win a month and a half before the election. As messy as it may be now, consider the aftermath of the two potential outcomes.

If TikTok is successfully sold to an American company — likely to be Oracle — Trump will have created thousands, if not tens of thousands, of American jobs and contributed millions to the American economy.

If that isn’t persuasive enough as an electoral argument, Trump can also boast of keeping Americans safe from foreign influence and maintaining — at least temporarily — America’s position as the only global internet superpower.

On the other side of the coin, if the sale of TikTok is not successful, the calculus gets more complicated for Trump. Again, however, those upset about the loss of TikTok weren’t going to vote for Trump anyways.

He can also gain ground among older voters with the same arguments made if the sale went through: Trump single-handedly protected America’s global influence and the privacy of its citizens.

For Trump, the gamble of threatening to ban TikTok has no political downside at a time when he needs a easy political win. It is an entirely different argument over whether it is the right step to take, all things considered, but that conversation is far more academic and relatively unintelligible to the average voter.

In threatening to banning TikTok — whether it happens or not — Trump has delivered a much-needed win at a time when he couldn’t need it more.


Read More 990WBOB

  • Giberti: Lies From the Left: Those Lying Mothers…
  • RI House Republicans to Submit Patient’s Right to Access: Designated Support Person Legislation
  • Taste Test: Dunkin' Pumpkin Spice Menu
  • Giberti: Cult the Crap Nancy
Comments

    WBOB
    Original
    ​Reads

    Picture

    Unbiased, Unfiltered. WBOB's Original Reads feature our brightest and boldest personalities, offering their two-cents on the goings on of news, sports, politics, entertainment, and business. -- Are our opinions always PC? Nope. Are they always perfect? Nah. But, are they always 100% authentic? Absolutely!


    LISTEN
    ​TO WBOB ORIGINAL PODCASTS

    Picture
    Listen to
    ​Past BOBCasts

    WBOB 
    Best Reads
    Brought To You By
    TripAdvisor.com

    Picture

    Celebrating David Clyde: A Wild Passionate Friend To All


    Picture

    Search 
    The Archives


    Reads From Our Friends

    Picture

    The Best Game Development Tools: How to Make Your Own Game


    Contact Us
    [email protected]


    Archives

    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012

Search For Your Favorite WBOB Author,
​or BobCast

990WBOB 
An Independent Media Outlet.

The views opinions and thoughts expressed do not  reflect those of 990WBOB, its management or its staff. All Rights Reserved 990WBOB.com 2007-2020
​
Contact WBOB HERE
Photo from nzhamstar
  • WBOB Radio
  • Crush Cancer
  • Past Casts
  • Weather
  • Contact
  • About
    • WBOB Press Releases
    • Join Our Team!
    • CHARITY GALA