“Trump Just Sold Out”: Bizarre TikTok Flip-Flop Followed Meeting With Hedge Fund Manager Who Has $30 Billion Investment

“Trump Just Sold Out”: Bizarre TikTok Flip-Flop Followed Meeting With Hedge Fund Manager Who Has $30 Billion Investment

Donald Trump is now to the left of President Biden when it comes to TikTok – with Biden telling reporters recently that if Congress passes a bipartisan proposal that could ban the Chinese-owned video-sharing app on national security grounds (whether it actually poses a threat or not), “I’ll sign it.“

The comment came after the House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously passed the bipartisan bill that would force the sale of TikTok by ByteDance, or face a ban in the United States. According to Punchbowl News, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise wants it on the floor Wednesday of this week.

Former President Trump, however – despite repeatedly pushing for a TikTok ban or sale when he was President, has done a complete 180 on the company – and now claims that TikTok, the alleged national security risk, should be allowed to continue on because getting rid of it would benefit Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook.

“If you get rid of TikTok, Facebook and Zuckerschmuck will double their business,” Trump posted to Truth Social.

He reiterated the comments in a Monday appearance on CNBC.

Earlier in Trump’s answer he seemingly blamed ‘lobbyists’ for Congress’s inability to ban TikTok when he was president.

…yet, that appears to be exactly what happened to Trump – who recently met with billionaire fund manager and GOP donor Jeff Yass, who has a stake in TikTok worth more than $30 billion, according to Punchbowl News.

Yass is a big financial backer of the conservative group Club for Growth, which was anti-Trump before recently turning pro-Trump. Yass has given $10 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund — the House GOP-aligned super PAC — this cycle, as well as another $250,000 to a joint leadership fund for Speaker Mike Johnson.

2) Politico reported this weekend that Kellyanne Conway, the former top Trump aide, “is being paid by the conservative Club for Growth to advocate for TikTok.” Conway — who isn’t registered as a TikTok lobbyist — called some members about Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi’s (D-Ill.) TikTok bill before Thursday’s markup, sources close to the issue said. -Punchbowl News

On Sunday, The National Pulse reported that former Trump aide Kellyanne Conway has begun lobbying for TikTok – and is “claiming regulatory ‘guardrails’ would be better, peddling the pro-CCP line to Congress members.”

This isn’t about whether TikTok is actually a national security threat, or about limiting free speech on a platform (that regularly curates degeneracy to American children). Trump’s flip-flop was very clearly due to outside influence.

Meanwhile, potential Trump VP Vivek Ramaswamy also began the ‘it’s complicated’ messaging on TikTok. Hmm…

According to Punchbowl, Trump’s TikTok flip-flop, “has caused a big headache inside the House GOP leadership,” as Speaker Mike Johnson, Steve Scalise and GOP Conference chair Elise Stefanik (a possible Trump VP pick) are solidly behind the TikTok bill – with Stefanik being a cosponsor.

There have been some efforts by the GOP leadership to have Trump allies — especially in the national security realm — lobby Trump on the bill, which is slated to be voted on Wednesday.

Officially, House Republican leadership isn’t yet whipping the TikTok bill. The legislation is coming to the floor under suspension of the rules, which will require a two-thirds majority for passage. -Punchbowl News

Trump’s shift has not gone unnoticed.

Maybe Trump should keep bragging about his ‘safe and effective’ vaccine while he’s at it…

 

Tyler Durden
Mon, 03/11/2024 – 10:30

via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/VDGkQUd Tyler Durden

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