For an alternate viewpoint, see “Counterpoint: Defending TikTok Defends the First Amendment”
President-elect Trump is correct in stalling the decision to ban TikTok from appearing before the Supreme Court. This delay reinforces the position of diplomacy or peace through strategy. Previously scheduled to appear before the Supreme Court on January 19, the day before the presidential inauguration, Trump is trying to push a pause.
The American public can perceive this as a strategic maneuver — not a change of position on the national ban of TikTok. A short delay ensures the Trump administration, without overlapping with the Biden administration, presents the case for such a monumental decision that will establish precedence between America and China for decades.
TikTok is a weapon of social destruction created by ByteDance, a Beijing-based company. The Chinese Communist Party owns the data of millions of users globally. This archived data is a digital footprint that can be exploited and used to create deepfakes, a realistic mirror image of its users. Deepfakes in the hands of America’s adversaries create national security concerns.
TikTok’s user data archives the lives of minors, private citizens and world leaders. Trump acknowledged that his position on TikTok had changed during his 2024 presidential campaign. The social media application helped Trump connect with voters. The new president and his administration must remember the campaign season is over, and now is the time to create and pass innovative, effective legislation. In addition, voters who were reached by Trump’s campaign on the TikTok application are American citizens whose safety is at risk in the hands of the CCP.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has been adamant about his support of a nationwide ban on TikTok and the threat the application poses to America’s national security. There has been an increasing bipartisan consensus for a national ban on TikTok. Now re-elected as speaker of the House, Johnson must hold fast to his position.
States should follow Montana’s example. It will be the first state to ban TikTok if Congress fails to pass legislation or Trump significantly delays the TikTok ban from appearing before the Supreme Court.
Trump is faced with establishing diplomacy with the CCP not only to ban TikTok but also concerning nuclear security and weapons of mass destruction. The two are related.
TikTok, a weapon of social destruction, has ramifications for weapons of mass destruction. America’s nuclear command and control uses presidential communication along a chain of command, including uniformed leaders, select positions within the president’s Cabinet, and national security advisers within the executive branch. Incoming and outgoing messages must be confirmed as reliable and authentic. The CCP could use TikTok’s data to create deepfake messages that appear genuine but confuse reliability to or in the representation of America’s leaders.
The ban on TikTok can be part of arms control and other high-level negotiations between the West and the East. In 2026, New START, a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the United States and Russia, is set to expire, and there will be no formal arms control agreement between the two powers — and now China. All three are near peers in terms of nuclear weapons and deployment capabilities.
A potential TikTok ban faces a trifecta of judgment across America’s executive, legislative and judicial branches. The checks and balances within and between each branch are constitutionally designed to ensure the nation’s and its citizens’ well-being. The data of America, in the hands of its adversaries, presents the possibility of catastrophic consequences.
The platform of peace through strategy allows Trump and the 119th Congress to cooperatively build diplomatic and intentional legislative, economic and national security policies that reflect a grand plan. The ends, ways and means should advance U.S. and partner interests globally and never at the expense of innocent Americans who trust social media applications. Innovation and the free market can allow for a new social media application that does not violate the user’s trust and risks harming the nation.
Banning TikTok is a decisive step in the right direction. Soon after Trump’s inauguration and essential administration positions are Senate confirmed, the TikTok ban should appear before the Supreme Court. If the CCP retaliates against the TikTok ban, Trump can effectively lead an appropriate national response, whether militarily, peace through strength, or diplomatically, peace through strategy.
