Key policy 'flip flop' exposes conflict between GOP lawmakers and Trump’s 'transactional nature'

20 January

In the past, President Donald Trump was highly critical of TikTok and strongly supported banning the social media platform in the United States. But Trump, who was sworn into office for a second term just after noon on Monday, January 20, 2025, has since reversed his position in a big way.

Trump now opposes a TikTok ban and applauds the TikTok users who promoted his 2024 campaign on the platform.

In a biting opinion column published on Inauguration Day 2025, the Washington Post's Aaron Blake cites Trump's TikTok "flip flop" as a prime example of the conflict between lawmakers and Trump's own interests.

"Donald Trump has always been defined by his transactional nature," Blake argues. "His test for whether he likes you generally boils down to whether you say nice things about him — something he recently acknowledged. But even against that backdrop, his 2024 campaign was strikingly transparent about this horse-trading. On multiple occasions, he tied positions he would take to potential major financial support, as The Washington Post reported. His flip-flops on multiple key issues happened to align with his sudden personal interest."

Blake continues, "Now, he comes into office Monday on a strikingly transactional note, with his reversal on banning TikTok. And one of the first big tests for congressional Republicans is how much they're prepared to sign off on that — at the potential expense of national security, the rule of law and their own prerogatives."

The TikTok ban, passed by Congress and signed into law under former President Joe Biden, was supposed to go into effect on Sunday, January 19.

But Trump, Blake notes, "now wants to give TikTok another 90 days"— and he "has made it abundantly clear that one major factor looms large in that reversal: the fact that TikTok is good for Trump."

"It’s not terribly subtle," Blake comments. "Trump has repeatedly and rather blatantly cited his personal and political interest as part of his calculus…. And TikTok has taken care to butter Trump up, repeatedly sending messages to its users crediting Trump. Also telling in Trump’s commentary on this is the absence of any discussion of the national security threat he once warned of."

Blake adds, "His executive action said China could use the app to wage blackmail and espionage efforts; he’s not talking about that today. In fact, he has invited TikTok's CEO to be a prominent face at his inaugural festivities."

Aaron Blake's full Washington Post column is available at this link (subscription required).

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