Why does President Trump keep saving TikTok?
Some may wonder why President Donald Trump cares so much about the social media app TikTok, but it has a lot more to do with free speech than it does with Chinese influence
Opinion-editorial by Summer Lane | October 6, 2025
While campaigning in 2024, President Donald Trump vowed on several occasions to save TikTok from being terminated following former President Joe Biden’s decision to sign a law banning the social media site from operating in the United States.
“If you like TikTok, go out and vote for Trump,” President Trump said last fall.
In a joint video with the late Turning Point USA President Charlie Kirk, Trump further vowed, “I will never ban TikTok.”
His commitment to saving TikTok is puzzling to some. Why would President Trump care at all about an app that supposedly has entrenched links to the Chinese? Since taking office, the president has extended the sale or ban on the app three times – the latest extension, along with a proposed deal, taking place on September 25.
What’s so special about TikTok?
A silly little app…or not
In 2024, the youth vote shifted majorly toward President Donald Trump, particularly among young men, with or without a college degree, according to Tufts’ CIRCLE.
This is a huge political shift, fueled, in part, by a political revolution led by online influencers and podcasters who no longer need to use the megaphone of the mainstream media to reach their audiences.
TikTok, like it or not, is part of that social media revolution, and it allowed political ideas and uncensored news to spread, instantly, to hundreds of millions of people during the election year – and beyond.
According to Statista, there are more than 1.5 billion global TikTok users. More than 16,000 new short-form videos are uploaded every minute. And during the election, President Trump’s campaign harnessed the full power of social media – including TikTok – to publicize every off-the-cuff moment, every ringside UFC fight, and every fiery speech delivered on the trail.
Yes, TikTok may have Chinese roots, but that’s not why it was banned by Biden, no matter what the Democrats may claim. It was likely banned because it allows the free and unfiltered flow of undiluted information – and in an information war, knowledge is power.
To say that TikTok alone is dangerous because of its links to China completely ignores the data harvesting and foreign connections intertwined in every other app available for download.
According to SC Media, while TikTok does indeed gather data from its users, other apps like Alibaba, Temu, SHEIN, Telegram, and AliExpress do the same.
Why has TikTok been singled out by Democrats as a threat to American privacy?
It’s simple: the powers-that-be don’t want Americans to have instant access to uncensored information.
The president’s promise
Ultimately, President Trump’s decision to continue extending the TikTok deadline comes down to him fulfilling a very pointed campaign promise he made to younger voters last year.
But it’s also strategic. According to new data from InsiderAdvantage, President Trump maintains a 52 percent approval rating among voters age 18-39 – a key voting demographic.
“To all of those young people of TikTok, I saved TikTok, so you owe me big, and now you’re looking at me in the Oval Office, and someday one of you are going to be sitting here right at this desk and you’re going to be doing a great job, also,” President Trump said on Monday, in a brand new video he posted to the platform.
The younger generation represents the future of America. It’s key to continue to reach out to them, and so it makes sense that the Trump administration is prioritizing saving TikTok.
The president’s newest executive order lays the groundwork for a “qualified divestiture” needed to comply with the terms of the Biden-signed bill, according to the White House.
The new deal, under the president’s negotiatory supervision, will give majority ownership to Americans, while ByteDance – the Chinese component of the app – will own less than 20 percent of the stock, as required by the law. It will also be excluded from the security committee for the company.
In other words, President Trump’s proposal would successfully ensure that Chinese influence on the app is severely diminished or eliminated almost entirely, allowing the app to function with American-based leadership and meet the qualifications of the law passed by Congress that requires the so-called “qualified” divestiture.
It’s about censorship
President Trump’s move to maintain TikTok as an American-controlled platform is much smarter than weak GOP-sponsored or Democrat-led attempts to outright ban the platform. Their aim has always been censorship.
The Trump administration’s proposal on TikTok will allow the 170 million American users – and tens of millions of young people – to have access to free and open ideas, with less Chinese influence than ever.
President Trump isn’t trying to save TikTok for Americans. He’s trying to save every vestige of free speech the country has left, and he is right to do so.
Photo: Adobe Stock
