Former President Donald Trump on Monday told CNBC he does believe the Chinese video app TikTok is a national security threat and risks the privacy and data rights of Americans, but said he does not support a congressional ban on the app because it could make the social media website Facebook “bigger, and I consider Facebook to be an enemy of the people.”
The TikTok application is seen on an iPhone 11 Pro max in this photo illustration Sept. 30, 2020.
Trump appeared on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Monday morning to discuss a congressional measure that could potentially ban the use of TikTok in the United States over national security concerns about the app’s Beijing-based parent company, and said he does believe the app to be a threat to security.
He did not support the potential ban, however, saying it could broaden the influence of Facebook, owned by billionaire Mark Zuckerberg's Meta, and calling the legacy social media website an "enemy of the people, along with a lot of the media.”
Meta did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment Monday morning.
This is a developing story and will be updated.