Trump inks executive order to ban Chinese apps, Internet says TikTok is a national emergency but not Covid-19?
President Donald Trump has finally taken the leap when it comes to banning Chinese apps like Tiktok and WeChat. The latest reports reveal that on Thursday, August 7, Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that will block all business with ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, starting 45 days from now. This comes shortly after the President addressed the need to ban the micro-video blogging app in the United States and that has the internet convinced he can't take 'rejection', and the in-general response seems along the lines of "So TikTok is a national emergency but Covid-19 is not?"
The Trump vs Tiktok war started with the sitting POTUS blacklisting the Chinese app for sourcing all personal information from its users. This comes after K-Pop fans and TikTokers also bought out a Trump rally in Tulsa but nobody showed up leading to low turnout. This was followed by a whole barrage of videos where teens perform dance moves mocking the President.
So in light of what the US President has been calling the 'Chinese virus', he seems to have cited his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the National Emergencies Act through the executive order. Under this move, unless Microsoft or some other company could buy TikTok's US operations by mid-September, the app and its sister apps will be banned for good. In a letter to Congressional leaders, Trump alleged that TikTok’s “data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information — potentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage.”
He added: “TikTok also reportedly censors content that the Chinese Communist Party deems politically sensitive, such as content concerning protests in Hong Kong and China’s treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. TikTok may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party.” And that has the Internet with some remarks, all of them legitimate.
"Because #Trump can’t handle rejection - issues executive order barring U.S. firms from doing business with TikTok's parent company," tweeted a user. Another noted how "It's kinda funny one of the last things Trump does as president is banning tiktok what a legacy."
Because #Trump can’t handle rejection - issues executive order barring U.S. firms from doing business with TikTok's parent company https://t.co/GK5aFkjQDf
— Lynne Bright (@Telly222) August 7, 2020
It's kinda funny one of the last things Trump does as president is banning tiktok what a legacy
— sexweed (@ihavesex420) August 7, 2020
A third user said, "#TrumpleThinSkin can’t take getting picked on by TikTok."
#TrumpleThinSkin can’t take getting picked on by TikTok https://t.co/TCwSOq95LH
— debbie156 (@debbie156) August 7, 2020
Others also noted "This mf trump wants to say tiktok is a national emergency... okay what about corona? The f*ck."
This mf trump wants to say tiktok is a national emergency... okay what about corona? The fuck
— joylyn🍪 (@joylynkay) August 7, 2020
And the usual "You know the president is a f**king idiot when TikTok is considered a 'national emergency."
You know the president is a fucking idiot when TikTok is considered a “national emergency”
— Ashley Serna (@ashleydserna) August 7, 2020