TikTok C.E.O. Plans to Attend Trump Inauguration

The New York Times ^ | Jan. 15, 2025, 11:27 p.m. ET | Maggie Haberman and Sapna Maheshwari

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The chief executive of TikTok plans to attend President-elect Donald J. Trump’s inauguration and has been invited to sit in a position of honor on the dais, where former presidents, family members and other important guests traditionally are seated, two people familiar with the plans said Wednesday.

The invitation to the executive, Shou Chew, went out from the Trump Vance Inaugural Committee, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss Monday’s inauguration. Mr. Chew will join tech moguls like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk at the event; Jeff Bezos has also been invited.

TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, declined to comment.

Mr. Trump’s support for TikTok ​marks ​a stunning reversal from 2020, when he tried during his first term to block the app in the United States and force its sale to American companies​. He warmed up to the company last year, particularly after he and his campaign surged in popularity on TikTok during last year’s election.

The Trump administration’s embrace of Mr. Chew is significant as the app teeters on the brink of death in the United States. Congress passed a law last year saying that ByteDance had to sell TikTok to a non-Chinese company or face a ban in the United States as of Jan. 19, citing national security concerns. TikTok has been gambling for the better part of a year that it can defeat the law in courts. More recently, it has set its sights on aiming to reach another solution with the Trump administration to avoid an outright sale. The Supreme Court is set to rule on the law in the coming days.

Mr. Trump has vowed to save the app in the United States once he is inaugurated on Jan. 20, though his options...

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The TikTok ban precedent would eventually be used to ban all conservative web sites, the same way they used the Patriot Act to label all conservative US citizens as "domestic terrorists."

[Carriage Hill]

I’ve never been to TT. Is it as insidious as rumored?

[Leaning Right]

I wouldn’t be concerned about TikTok if it were controlled by, say, a Swedish company or a Japanese company.

But it controlled by a Chinese company. The Chinese communist government owns 1% of that company. That doesn’t sound like much at all. But it’s a “golden share”.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_share

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I wouldn’t be concerned about TikTok if it were controlled by, say, a Swedish company or a Japanese company. But it controlled by a Chinese company. The Chinese communist government owns 1% of that company. That doesn’t sound like much at all. But it’s a “golden share”.

It's not a stretch to say that Walmart is controlled by China/COSCO. Shouldn't we ban Walmart?

[dware]

Tik Tok had a huge part in Trump getting elected. The Trump dance alone caught fire about 2 months before the election and before any media outlets began reporting on it. That is in addition to the # of pro-Trump TT’ers that went hard for the man every single day.

[Leaning Right]

> It’s not a stretch to say that Walmart is controlled by China/COSCO. Shouldn’t we ban Walmart? <

Fair question. TikTok collects a lot of personal data. And it has control over what people watch on their channel. It’s a major influencer, with the ChiComs as the ultimate lever-pullers.

Walmart is different. I go in, buy some stuff, then leave. About all Walmart can capture from that is my shopping list. Of course Walmart can push Chinese products on me. All stores do. Hopefully Trump will fix that with some well-placed tariffs.

I dunno. Maybe I’m too suspicious of TikTok. But we always seem to be losing ground against two threats to us, Communist China and Islam.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

TikTok collects a lot of personal data... Walmart is different...

So you never noticed the POV cameras on the self-checkout kiosks that scan your face (facial recognition anyone?) and record your credit card information?

[Leaning Right]

> So you never noticed the POV cameras on the self-checkout kiosks… <

Ah, I never noticed that. But then again I don’t use self-checkout kiosks. I’ll stand in line for an hour instead to get a real person.

Our society is filled with decent folks who can get no better job than being a check-out clerk. So I like to throw my order their way.

Folks in hurry might choose the kiosk. Nothing wrong with that. I just lead a laid-back life, I’m rarely in hurry. 🙂

[Texas Fossil]

Our tech companies go far past TikTok as far their data collection.

I built my first PC in 1982, have been a Ham Radio operator and builder for 49 years. Extra Class since 1985) I still love Technology, but hate how it is being used today to subject our citizens and to protect their monopolies.

What is wrong with Technology today? Complexity. Simple works. When things are for complex than necessary, just look behind the curtain and see what is really being done that the consumer is clueless about.

---

Einstein-
Everything Should Be Made as Simple as Possible, But Not Simpler

[Truthsearcher]

Disagree, this is like banning Nazi Germany from owning the NY Times in the 1930s or banning the USSR from owning ABC news in 1960s. Which I assured we would have done had those countries purchased or attempted to own those companies.

The CCP’s is at war with the US, they’ve just engaged it through propaganda, espionage, trade, and other unconventional means.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

You seem to have ignored the fact that it blows up your “but Walmart is different than TikTok because Walmart doesn’t collect personal information” argument just because you like to virtue-signal that you don’t use self-checkout.

Since Walmart collects personal data, shouldn’t it be banned since that is your reason for banning TikTok?

I don’t want anybody banned, including and especially people I disagree with. That was the entire point of the First Amendment. Start banning people, and you’ll eventually find yourself on the list of people to be banned.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Which I assured we would have done had those countries purchased or attempted to own those companies.

I don't waste my time reasoning with fortune tellers.

[Leaning Right]

> you like to virtue-signal <

I regret to say I’m done talking with you on this subject. I’ve enjoyed our conversation thus far. When someone disagrees with me I often learn something new.

But when you decide to stoop to personal attacks, I decide to break contact. I hope we will have a better conversation next time.

[DesertRhino]

No... it’s a great product that was slaughtering Zuckerberg’s Instagram and FB in the marketplace. It’s a much nicer interface and product than X.

It is an absolute hotbed of conservative and wholesome content. If you click you want less of something, you get less, if you want more of something, you get that.
In shot order it started feeding me clips of sermons that I enjoyed, conservative commentary, interesting home project suggestions and techniques, fantastic travel suggestions, wholesome relationship and life advice that could have come straight out of the 1950s, a shocking number of young black male conservatives, brisket smoking techniques, healthy eating... you name it.

Bottom line, when has DC ever cared about your data, or that you might be exposed to content that rots young brains? Never. Pornhub is light years more destructive and is Canadian... DC has no problem with that.
China you say? DC has no problem with big money and corporate CEOs doing all the business they can with China. Do they prohibit Tesla, Apple, Boeing, etc from being in China? Hell, we sponsor and funded Fauci Bioweapons research in China. Congress all has Chinese drivers and staffers, our universities are filled to the brim with Chinamen.
Ever see Congress stand up and speak with one voice on THAT?

It was a very tough business competitor to Zuckerberg, and they don’t play ball with the FBI and allow them an office in TikTok HQ. Simple as that.

Don’t believe me, try it yourself for the Friday, Sat, Sun remaining and see for yourself.

[DesertRhino]

I can tell you don’t use it. You control what you see more than on any other platform. You wanna talk data security? There is nothing more intrusive than Facebook/Instagram.

But Zuck is American... so I guess I should prefer him. He would never use my data against me.

[Gene Eric]

Varies according to my wife. But I’ve seen some things on X that raised my eyebrows on more than one occasion. I suppose it comes with the territory of open & free speech. They’re definitely not politically walled gardens.

[DesertRhino]

Then should we have Indians from CEOs on down running Microsoft, twitter X, Facebook, Instagram etc?

And if China is Nazi Germany, and TikTok is such a danger, then why is Wall Street and all of our major corporations utterly up to their eyeballs in China? Why do our universities get clogged with Chinese nationals. Why are they allowed to walk right across the border? Why does half of Congress have Chinese staffers and drivers?

By your WWII analogy, we should ban Nazi Germany from owning the NYT... but allow them to crawl all over Boeing, Kaiser Shipbuilding, Newport News, Grumman, North American, our banks, our Universities, the Manhattan Project, etc. And hang out and bribe Congressmen.

It makes no sense for all of DC and Wall street and our betters to be fully engaged in China and do as they please. But only the rubes must stay away.
Hell, the US Navy has an all Chinese staffed recruiting station! And they use Chinese WeChat!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsO4LECrRi4

[9YearLurker]

This whole thing is making me sick.

Big Tech/Crypto/Pharma ain’t what I voted for.

[1Old Pro]

I’ve never been to TT. Is it as insidious as rumored?

It's a social media site. My understanding is that nobody is mandating its use.

[Trump Girl Kit Cat]

All during last year I saw SO MANY, thousands actually VERY FUNNY videos on TicTock by THOUSANDS of young African Americans both female and male praising Trump and showing the stupidity of Dems!! I viewed them all the time on Telegram channels, I really enjoyed these short clips of very funny people with GREAT common sense!! There is absolutely no doubt that TicTock played a HUGE roll in winning Trump the election!! Uninformed people were becoming VERY INFORMED and spreading the word with MILLIONS of views content is always short, funny and to the point!! Facebook is a dinosaur compared to TicTock, I am TOTALLY AGAINST this ban, the young generation LOVES TicTock and so do I!!! I SAW everyday in real time the tide turning for Trump with minorities it really was quite AMAZING to watch it happen!! More people on FR should really go to TicTock for their content it is very entertaining and gives you a true pulse of what the nation is thinking!!!