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President Donald Trump is under fire for allegedly failing to enforce a law he originally called for—one that now directly conflicts with his rising popularity on the very platform it targets.
In a column for USA Today, conservative commentator Dace Potas sharply criticized Trump for “refusing to enforce” the TikTok ban, calling it “the most brazen example of Trump’s lawlessness.” Potas, the former president of Lone Conservative, accused Trump of ignoring legislation that was both inspired by him and signed into law.
The TikTok ban was first proposed by Trump in 2020 during his first term. However, it wasn’t until April 2024 that President Joe Biden officially signed it into law. Despite TikTok’s legal challenge, the Supreme Court upheld the ban, rejecting claims that it violated the First Amendment.
Potas argued that Trump’s failure to act undermines his duties as president. “The TikTok ban is the law of the land, and Trump’s refusal to enforce it is a dereliction of his duties as president,” he wrote. “Those who are silent on it should put aside their own personal motives and bring more attention to this fact.”
The columnist also pointed out a possible motive for Trump’s reluctance: the former president’s growing success on TikTok. A December 2024 New York Times report revealed that Trump had amassed over 14.7 million followers on the platform. According to Potas, “Trump seemingly developed a soft spot for TikTok because he believes it helped him win reelection.”
Potas dismissed any defense that Trump is delaying enforcement to allow TikTok time to make a deal with a U.S. company. “Even Trump’s guise in refusing to enforce the law—the idea that he is attempting to give TikTok time to broker a deal—doesn’t make sense,” he argued. “Nothing would be more compelling for TikTok to sell the app to an American company than the ban going into effect.”
He also criticized both Democrats and Republicans for remaining “relatively quiet” about what he called “the single worst example of Trump acting lawlessly.”
In a final warning to the GOP, Potas wrote, “Refusal to enforce laws is not a path Americans want our presidents to travel. That slippery slope can take us to some very dangerous places.”
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