Althouse: "President Trump said he was ready to approve a purchase of the Chinese video-sharing app TikTok..."

August 3, 2020

"President Trump said he was ready to approve a purchase of the Chinese video-sharing app TikTok..."

"... but only if the government received 'a lot of money' in exchange—an assertion of presidential power that appeared to lack precedent."

The Wall Street Journal reports.

24 comments:

Sprezzatura said...: Our president is a very stable genius.; 8/3/20, 6:50 PM
YoungHegelian said...: "That's nice app yah wantta buy there, Satya. Id be a real shame if some kinda nashional security reguhlashun got indda way of duh poichase, wouldn't it?"; 8/3/20, 6:56 PM
Birkel said...: Is the MSM going to turn the outrage machine to 12?
(They passed 11 a while back.)

I already know their audience is more selective.; 8/3/20, 7:12 PM
Retail Lawyer said...: It is rare, at least. Usually the deal is not approved until some POS like Hunter Biden gets a lot of money.; 8/3/20, 7:13 PM
Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...: I feel worst for the weak sisters.; 8/3/20, 7:18 PM
rhhardin said...: It seems a little weird, except it's spyware that has done some damage that it's probably liable for in some abstract sense and Trump wants to levy a penalty on it before it becomes a US company. It might have the advantage of making it not carry that risk on to Microsoft once it's in their hands.; 8/3/20, 7:20 PM
rcocean said...: Well, there you go. Its never been done before. So, it can't be done. BTW, when's the last time the President said a foreign company had to sell its assets or leave USA, and then was bought by USA corporation?

You tell me.; 8/3/20, 7:25 PM
TickTock said...: Brilliant! Classic New York play by a real estate developer. Bravo Trump! Force the sale of TikTok, and then reap the benefit of the delta between the real value and the forced sale price. That's a businessman, rather than a politician.

Help pay off the extra $2 trillion plus in national indebtedness we have incurred as the result of the "Chinese" virus. This is why I voted for the man. And will again.; 8/3/20, 7:39 PM
Birkel said...: ARMick is back to tell us what it desperately wishes to be true.; 8/3/20, 7:47 PM
BamaBadgOR said...: Nope, no government official has ever asked that anyone pay more to the government. Ever.; 8/3/20, 8:02 PM
madAsHell said...: Fuck!! Guess who works at Microsoft? Chinese H1B's!! You don't think there's a ringer in the bunch???; 8/3/20, 8:17 PM
Drago said...: anti-de Sitter space: "Our president is a very stable genius."

Indeed.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/trump-us-tariffs-revenue

Billions more to the US treasury from ARM's beloved Brave and Heroic People's Republic of China ChiComs.

Ouch!

I feel worst for ARM......and Xi....and adSs.

I feel best for US farmers who reaped the biggest China purchase commitment x4 after Trump finalized the China trade deal....

....a trade deal that to this day ARM still claims does not exist.

To be fair, ARM also claims the Japan Trade Deal, the South Korea trade deals and USMCA don't really exist either.

Which tells you alot about our Beijing Boy.; 8/3/20, 8:36 PM
Bill, Republic of Texas said...: Trump is such an amateur. Why give the money to the US government? He needs to open a family charity and keep the money for himself.

Call it the Trump Global Initiative.; 8/3/20, 8:42 PM
Readering said...: He really is the made king. And here are his courtiers.; 8/3/20, 9:22 PM
The Godfather said...: Maybe it's just me, but I'd prefer to wait until I can read more than one sentence on the subject before expressing an opinion. Perhaps Althouse will post something tomorrow after non-WSJ-subscribers are let in on the secret.; 8/3/20, 9:41 PM
madAsHell said...: Heeeeee'ssss trolling!!; 8/3/20, 9:49 PM
Lyle said...: The government can't be a market participant? What?; 8/3/20, 10:06 PM
Gk1 said...: I love the idea of Trump kicking the CCP in the nuts at every opportunity. This is exactly what they deserve. Until they take any responsibility for plaguing the world with covid, FUCK THEM.

I noticed over the weekend there wasn't really any reaction or sympathy for Tik Tok being banned once people understood it was basically chinese malware collecting info from americans. Even the sad sack press couldn't come up with any sympathetic angle that made the Orange Man bad narrative work.; 8/3/20, 10:13 PM
D.D. Driver said...: "Well, there you go. Its never been done before. So, it can't be done."

This type of shit is done all the time. In banana republics.; 8/3/20, 10:19 PM
readering said...: Kudlow walking it back.; 8/4/20, 12:40 PM
PatHMV said...: Are the Democrats going to suddenly take the position that government should NOT tax or impose costly regulatory burdens and fees on large business transactions between multi-billion dollar companies?; 8/4/20, 2:08 PM
D.D. Driver said...: "Are the Democrats going to suddenly take the position that government should NOT tax or impose costly regulatory burdens and fees on large business transactions between multi-billion dollar companies?"

Who cares? I expect the democrats to support big government (except when there are political points to score). I don't expect Republicans to support executive overreach that would make Hugo Chavez smile. But here we are.; 8/4/20, 3:37 PM
PatHMV said...: D.D., in banana republics, they extort money into their own private pocketbooks, not the government's coffers.; 8/4/20, 5:25 PM
D.D. Driver said...: Once upon a time...conservatives opposed government extortion. Or (perhaps), conservatives duped me into believing they opposed government extortion.; 8/4/20, 7:41 PM