A federal appeals court delivered a major victory for national security on Friday, upholding a law that forces TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the wildly popular app or face a U.S. ban. The unanimous ruling by a panel of three judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit sends a clear message: America isn’t playing around when it comes to the dangers posed by Beijing.
The judges rightly called out TikTok as a national security risk, emphasizing the Chinese Communist Party’s ability to manipulate the platform to its advantage. Let’s be honest, the idea of a foreign authoritarian government controlling a social media app with hundreds of millions of users in the United States should make anyone nervous—unless, of course, you’re a Democrat trying to downplay China’s influence for the sake of Big Tech lobbyists.
The court’s ruling also dismissed the tired arguments that banning TikTok violates the First Amendment. “In this case, a foreign government threatens to distort free speech on an important medium of communication,” the judges wrote. “The PRC’s ability to do so is at odds with free speech fundamentals.” Translation: You can’t scream “free speech” while letting the Chinese Communist Party potentially spread propaganda or mine users’ data.
This ruling is a much-needed win for America’s security and sovereignty. For years, the left has shrugged off the risks of TikTok, either because they’re too busy chasing woke trends on the platform or because they’re afraid to stand up to China. President-elect Donald Trump, however, saw the writing on the wall years ago and called out TikTok as a Trojan horse for Beijing. Naturally, he was mocked by the usual suspects in the media, but here we are, proving once again that Trump’s instincts were spot-on.
This decision should put Democrats in an uncomfortable spot. They’ve spent years pretending that the real threats to national security are domestic, while turning a blind eye to China’s meddling. Trump’s America First policies are finally getting the recognition they deserve, and come January 2025, you can bet that TikTok and any other tools of foreign interference will be dealt with swiftly. The court’s ruling is a step in the right direction, but it’s just the beginning.
America doesn’t need a Chinese-controlled app influencing its youth or sowing discord. If the Democrats had their way, they’d probably invite the CCP to run a voter registration drive on TikTok. Thankfully, Trump Nation isn’t having it.
