The account’s description, “Welcome to the Golden Age of America,” appeared as the future of TikTok remains in question in the US. Despite being owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, TikTok is highly popular in the United States with an estimated 170 million users. So far, President Trump has delayed the implementation of a 2024 law that mandated TikTok either be sold to non-Chinese buyers or be banned in the US, granting three 90-day extensions.
In March 2024, the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted 352 to 65 in favor of the “sell or ban” bill, with broad bipartisan support. The latest extension for the ban is set to expire in early September.
In April, Trump posted on his Truth Social network, “My Administration has been working very hard on a Deal to SAVE TIKTOK, and we have made tremendous progress.” At the time the bill was passed, few representatives had questioned it, though former Democratic representative Barbara Lee had asked why a single company was being targeted to address issues that are common across social media platforms. On X, she posted that instead of singling out one company through a rushed and secretive process, Congress should “pass comprehensive data privacy protections and do a better job of informing the public of the threats these companies may pose to national security.”
While the vast majority of both Democratic and Republican representatives supported the “sell or ban” bill, many members from both parties have used the platform for their campaigns and official communications. Both the Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris, and the Republican nominee, Trump, used the app to campaign during the 2024 Presidential election.
On Tuesday, the state of Minnesota joined a growing number of states suing TikTok. The lawsuit alleges that the social media giant uses addictive algorithms to trap young people and turn them into compulsive consumers of its short videos. Minnesota is also among the dozens of US states that have sued Meta Platforms for allegedly incorporating addictive features into Instagram and Facebook. Other states have also filed lawsuits against Snapchat and the gaming platform Roblox, claiming they have caused harm to children.
