White House Rejects Claims That Biden Wants a TikTok Ban

The White House doesn’t want a TikTok ban, its goal is protecting the privacy of American users, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Thursday. She and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan held a news briefing on the foreign aid package President Joe Biden signed into law Wednesday (see 2404240060). “This is not a ban” of the popular Chinese-owned social media app, Jean-Pierre said. "This is about divestment. This is about our national security. We are not saying that ... we do not want Americans to use TikTok. ... We want to make sure that Americans are protected.” Sullivan was asked if Biden’s campaign or other political entities should use TikTok. He said the administration is focused on implementing the new law in a manner consistent with its national security justification. “I'm going to let campaigns decide for themselves what they're going to do.”