Trump vs. Tik Tok

      On August 6th 2020, President Donald Trump made the announcement that he would be banning use of the app Tik Tok and WeChat. This came as a shock, as an app for teenagers seems to be the least of America’s problems right now. 

       His reasoning for getting rid of Tik Tok is that the app is tracking users’ data to spy on them and he called it a national security threat. Obviously, this is very concerning as no one wants their data tracked. But, considering that both Instagram and Facebook have been caught incorrectly handling users’ data, it seems odd to ban only Tik Tok and WeChat.

         Besides the direct hypocrisy in banning only TikTok, it is also the worst possible timing to start worrying about the app. We are currently in a pandemic as well as an extreme recession. Millions of Americans are losing their jobs while hundreds of thousands are dying at the hands of a poorly handled disease. But, instead of using his time to create relief plans and proper safety protocols for the county, Trump decided to distract from larger problems and focus on an app in which 41% of users are aged between 16 and 24.

       Trump has already proven that he is unable to deal with covid. Better yet, he went against scientists advice and hosted a rally for his 2020 campaign in June,During a time in which cases were slowly decreasing, but not nearly enough to host a public gathering. When the rally was announced, ticket reservations flooded in. There was worry of going beyond capacity and there was even an overflow area built. The Trump campaign boasted that it had over a million ticket requests. They were ready for a rally like no other. Then, on the day of the rally, only 6,200 of the millions of people predicted showed up. The President of the United States then found out that millions of teens, infuriated by the rally, took to Tik Tok and devised a plan to take down the rally. Those on the platform came together and all ordered tickets to Trump’s rally, inflating the numbers and taking possible seats from legitimate Trump supporters. 

       TikTok conveniently became a security issue after Trump was publicly defeated by a prank organized through the app. According to Wired, Tik Tok may have some security risks, but fully banning it is far too drastic of a response. It is downright embarrassing that The President is more worried about an app deflating his ego than all of the real problems he is responsible for solving. America deserves a president who will nurture its greatest needs. someone who will serve and protect them from things that range from war to disease, like they were sworn in to do. but instead our current leader cares more about his own feelings and success than the 200,000 mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers that have died as a result of his own incompetence.But at least no one has to worry about China stealing their information, even though one can simply just not download the app.  A true leader knows how to prioritize legitimate issues. But, it seems as if Donald Trump’s biggest priority is just himself.