Former US President Donald Trump expressed concerns that banning Chinese-owned app TikTok could strengthen Meta's Facebook platform, which he criticized as an "enemy of the people."
In a statement to CNBC, Trump said his views on TikTok differ from President Joe Biden's stance, who supports a potential ban if Congress approves it. "There are a lot of people on TikTok who love it. There are a lot of young kids on TikTok who will go crazy without it."
Trump, speaking on CNBC's "Squawk Box," weighed on both positive and negative aspects of TikTok but cautioned against its ban, suggesting it could fuel Facebook's growth under Meta's ownership.
In 2020, the Trump administration unsuccessfully attempted to remove TikTok from US app stores over national security concerns. President Trump then directed ByteDance to divest from TikTok within 90 days.
Despite Microsoft's interest in acquiring TikTok's US business then, the efforts ultimately did not materialize.
Now, the new bill aiming to ban TikTok or allow it to be sold instead may be going forward.
According to VCPost, TikTok's popularity has raised fears among regulators regarding its Chinese ownership, with concerns over potential data sharing with the Chinese government under China's National Intelligence Law.
President Biden now calls to ban the app to protect US systems immediately.
While Trump acknowledges TikTok's national security risks, he believes a ban could inadvertently benefit Facebook, a platform he considers detrimental to US interests, particularly during elections.
When asked what he would do instead, he emphasized the need to address privacy and security issues on social media platforms while complying with international tech regulations.
"But when I look at it, I'm not looking to make Facebook double the size. And if you ban TikTok, Facebook and others - but mostly Facebook - will be a big beneficiary, and I think Facebook has been very busy."
Interestingly, in 2021, The Washington Post reported that Facebook played a huge role in the Capitol attack after Trump lost to Biden.
While the former president has yet to comment on how Meta apps allowed Republicans to do his work, he did acknowledge its role in elections. "I think Facebook has been very bad for our country, especially when it comes to elections."
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