Today, President Joe Biden signed a TikTok ban into law—if the app’s parent company, ByteDance, doesn’t sell it within a year, TikTok will be banned in the U.S. Many posted online saying they’d rather Biden have taken action on a myriad of other things instead, like a permanent ceasefire in the Israeli-Hamas war.
Since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, Biden has sent Israel financial support and weapons, in addition to vocally supporting the country’s siege on Palestine. The legislation he signed into law today also included $4 billion dollars toward Israel’s missile systems and $9.5 billion toward humanitarian aid for Gaza and Ukraine.
But some feel Biden is out of step with public opinion: Over half of respondents in a February Data for Progress survey said they disapproved of how Biden has responded to and handled the Israeli-Hamas war, and primary campaigns in support of a permanent ceasefire (and in protest of Biden) have popped up all over the country.
Biden has not called for a ceasefire. Vice President Kamala Harris has, though only for six weeks.
For some, Biden making a ban on TikTok a reality is yet another policy move he prioritized over calling for a ceasefire. A quick search for the words “ban,” “TikTok,” and “ceasefire” on X reveals tens of frustrated individuals.
“Signing a bill to ban TikTok over a ceasefire is absolutely insane,” one X user wrote. “This country sucks!!!!!”
“@JoeBiden I see how fast you signed the TikTok ban,” another said. “But about a ceasefire you wanna move slow.”
“Why ban TikTok, but not call for a ceasefire?” an X user tweeted. “This is nasty work, very nasty.”
Others brought Biden’s other campaign promises into the mix, too, like student loan forgiveness and protections for reproductive rights.
The Biden Administration has faced legal challenges to its student debt forgiveness initiatives and was unable to codify the federal right to an abortion after it was overturned by the Supreme Court.
“We were promised forgiven student loans, better gun control, better reproductive rights, and an immediate ceasefire,” an X user said. “And u ban TikTok? Our country is a fucking joke.”
Biden has not promised an immediate ceasefire, but did tell Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that an immediate ceasefire is necessary to “stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians” in Palestine.
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