Trump’s Hint at Deal Making Gives China a Little Breathing Room
New York TimesJan 22
Trump Downplays TikTok Security Risks
story
Above: President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on Jan. 20, 2025. Image copyright: Jim Lo Scalzo/Contributor/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Facts
In his first interview since returning to office, Pres. Donald Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity on Thursday that he dismissed concerns regarding the national security risks associated with the Chinese-owned video-sharing platform TikTok.
The Supreme Court had upheld legislation that would have forced TikTok to shut down, causing the app to briefly go dark in the US before Trump's intervention on his first day in office when he granted a 75-day extension to comply with a law that requires the Chinese-owned app to be sold or face a ban in the United States.
TikTok, which has approximately 170M US users, collects extensive user data including names, addresses, credit card information, location data, biometric identifiers, and behavioral patterns according to officials from the previous Biden administration.
The Spin
Narrative A
The focus on TikTok's security risks is overblown when considering that China manufactures most American phones and computers, which pose potentially greater security threats. The platform primarily serves young people watching entertainment content, and its influence has helped connect with younger voters. PRC tech in American markets does need scrutiny, but TikTok isn't a major example of this.
Narrative B
TikTok represents a significant national security vulnerability by collecting vast amounts of sensitive user data, including biometric information, location data, and behavioral patterns. The Chinese government could compel ByteDance to surrender this information at any time — potentially enabling surveillance, blackmail, and corporate espionage against American citizens and institutions.
Pro-China narrative
The US TikTok hysteria has backfired massively, with bad-faith attempts at xenophobia actually resulting in American customers taking refuge in the Chinese alternative app, RedNote. The US must provide a fair and transparent market for competition, and not use threats of banning or tariffs to interfere with the business of TikTok. TikTok has been a boon to the US economy both in terms of enhancing business and employment opportunities — US policy should be reasonable going forward.
