Prime Only Members-Only Article

Let Us Behold Trump’s TikTok Two Step

This Week in the Swamp: A weekly dive into the muck of the Trump administration.
TikTok closeup logo displayed on a phone screen, smartphone on the American flag or U.S. flag, the national flag of the United States are seen in this multiple exposure illustration. Tik Tok is a Chinese video-sharing social networking service owned by a Beijing based internet technology company, ByteDance. It is used to create short dance, lip-sync, comedy and talent videos. ByteDance launched TikTok app for iOS and Android in 2017 and earlier in September 2016 Douyin fror the market in China. TikTok became the most downloaded app in the US in October 2018. President of the USA Donald Trump is threatening and planning to ban the popular video sharing app TikTok from the US because of the security risk. On August 3, 2020 in Thessaloniki, Greece.(Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto)
TikTok closeup logo displayed on a phone screen, smartphone on the American flag or U.S. flag, the national flag of the United States are seen in this multiple exposure illustration. Tik Tok is a Chinese video-sharin... TikTok closeup logo displayed on a phone screen, smartphone on the American flag or U.S. flag, the national flag of the United States are seen in this multiple exposure illustration. Tik Tok is a Chinese video-sharing social networking service owned by a Beijing based internet technology company, ByteDance. It is used to create short dance, lip-sync, comedy and talent videos. ByteDance launched TikTok app for iOS and Android in 2017 and earlier in September 2016 Douyin fror the market in China. TikTok became the most downloaded app in the US in October 2018. President of the USA Donald Trump is threatening and planning to ban the popular video sharing app TikTok from the US because of the security risk. On August 3, 2020 in Thessaloniki, Greece.(Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images) MORE LESS
By
|
September 24, 2020 6:11 p.m.

President Donald Trump’s grand TikTok deal is a perfect little encapsulation of his presidency: All tell, hardly any show, and a little grease on the side. 

Real Independence
Made Possible By Members

FREE community-supported memberships are available to students and those experiencing financial hardship

Special Offer
Prime
$60/yr
$60/yr
30% off!
Access to Member-Exclusives and Fewer Ads
Get Prime

    Also Includes:

  • The Hive Member Forum
  • Members-Only Newsletter
  • RSS Feeds
  • Commenting
Prime
$5.99/mo
Access to Member-Exclusives and Fewer Ads
Get Prime

    Also Includes:

  • The Hive Member Forum
  • Members-Only Newsletter
  • RSS Feeds
  • Commenting
Prime Ad Free
$100/yr
Access to Member-Exclusives and NO Ads
Get Prime AF

    Also Includes:

  • The Hive Member Forum
  • Members-Only Newsletter
  • RSS Feeds
  • Commenting
Prime Ad Free
$9.99/mo
Access to Member-Exclusives and NO Ads
Get Prime AF

    Also Includes:

  • The Hive Member Forum
  • Members-Only Newsletter
  • RSS Feeds
  • Commenting
See MonthlyAnnual Pricing Plans

More Membership Options

Student (free with .edu email) CREATE STUDENT ACCOUNT Community-Supported (free all-access membership) APPLY NOW TPM Inside LEARN MORE
CONTACT FAQ
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Investigations Desk:
Reporters:
Newswriters:
Director of Audience:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: