Where do Trump and Biden stand on TikTok? What to know about the app's possible ban

WASHINGTON — TikTok is barreling toward conflict with the U.S. government after the House passed a bill Saturday that would ban the social media platform unless its parent company ByteDance decides to sell it.

House lawmakers have argued that the app poses a national security threat and that the Chinese government could access American data. The legislation passed the House in a bipartisan fashion by a 352-65 vote.

The company has pushed back against the bill, saying on X, formerly Twitter, last week that “It is unfortunate that the House of Representatives is using the cover of important foreign and humanitarian assistance to once again jam through a ban bill that would trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate 7 million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion to the U.S. economy, annually.”

Here’s a look at what the leading presidential candidates have said about the TikTok ban.

What has Biden said about the TikTok ban?

Biden supports a forced sale of TikTok but "has not called for a ban" on the app, Arati Prabhakar, the White House Director of Science and Technology Policy, said at Semafor's World Economy Summit this month.

"The big issue for TikTok from a national security perspective is about the vast amount of information that the platform is able to collect about people and specifically the fact that because of its ownership there’s there’s a direct line to the People’s Republic of China, which in in the geopolitics of today is a deeply concerning issue," said Prabhakar.

Biden is expected to sign the bill if it passes in the Senate.

In 2022, the Biden administration prohibited the use of TikTok on devices owned by federal agencies, according to NBC News.

What has Trump said about the TikTok ban?

While in the White House in 2020, Trump signed an executive order that would ban TikTok unless it sold itself to an American company. He argued that the platform could be used as a disinformation campaign that would benefit China.

However, Trump has since flip-flopped his stance. He opposed the bill to ban TikTok or force its sale.

“Frankly, there are a lot of people on TikTok that love it,” Trump said. “There are a lot of young kids on TikTok who will go crazy without it. There are a lot of users, a lot of good, and there’s a lot of bad with TikTok.”

He's also attacked his opponent for his TikTok stance. In a Truth Social post Monday, Trump wrote, “Just so everyone knows, especially the young people, Crooked Joe Biden is responsible for banning TikTok."

Contributing: Erin Mansfield

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Where do Trump and Biden stand on a TikTok ban? What to know