The US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump suggested he would not push ahead with a ban on ByteDance-owned social platform TikTok if elected, telling Bloomberg the app helps maintain competition in the country.

Trump’s comments come after US President Joe Biden signed legislation in April which could lead to a nationwide ban on TikTok if parent ByteDance fails to divest it to a US owner.

When asked by the outlet if rivals Meta Platforms and Alphabet “have become too powerful”, Trump said the technology players have a “huge negative impact” on younger audiences and a controlling influence on presidential elections.

“You know, if you take a look, TikTok is very powerful,” added the former President. “Now that I’m thinking about it, I’m for TikTok because you need competition,” he said, explaining social media users in the US will be left with little option outside Meta Platforms’ Facebook and Instagram if a ban enters into force.

Trump’s latest view reflects a U-turn from his stance in 2020, when outlining plans to “immediately” ban the video-sharing app from the US.

He further emphasised he wants the country’s “tech companies to thrive”.

In an interview with CNBC in March, Trump also voiced similar opinions, noting there is “a lot of good and a lot of bad with TikTok”, pointing particularly to the app’s perceived threat to US security.

“But the thing I don’t like is that without TikTok, you can make Facebook bigger, and I consider Facebook to be an enemy of the people along with a lot of the media,” he said.

Trump joined TikTok in June, but claims he now only uses Truth, the social platform he owns.

Gatekeeper
While Trump’s comments could have a positive impact on ByteDance if he is elected in November, the company was dealt a blow in Europe.

Today (17 July), the TikTok-owner lost a court challenge against the European Union (EU)’s designation of it being a “gatekeeper”, under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

A Luxembourg-based general court dismissed ByteDance’s challenge, arguing it had not sufficiently substantiated its argument.