Trump demands 'a favor' of $5 billion from Tiktok to fund his political indoctrination program

[muriel_volestrangler]

Trump Wants $5 Billion From TikTok Deal for History Project

President Donald Trump said Saturday he wants $5 billion from companies creating a new U.S.-based TikTok venture directed toward teaching American children “the real history of our country.”

Trump said Saturday that he had approved a transaction between Oracle Corp., Walmart Inc. and ByteDance Ltd. to create a new company called TikTok Global to run the U.S. video-sharing app. As part of the arrangement, Trump told reporters at the White House the companies agreed to contribute $5 billion to an education foundation.

Later, during a campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Trump said “we’re going to be setting up a very large fund for the education of American youth.”

He told his rally audience that in conversation with leaders of the companies, he said “do me a favor, could you put up $5 billion into a fund for education, so we can educate people as to real history of our country -- the real history, not the fake history.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-20/trump-wants-5-billion-from-tiktok-deal-for-new-history-project

This is simple extortion. He demands $5 billion, which will go into a partisan attempt to distort history teaching, or he'll shut down the business. And inevitably, that $5 billion will be given to dubious allies, and, I have no doubt, Trump family schemes too. This is the Ukraine scandal all over again, except this time his cronies get money out of it too.

[NanceGreggs]

1. But I want you to do me a favour, though ...

Why does that sound so familiar?

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. Since Republican senators told him it was fine to extort, he now says it openly

Link to tweet

"Comrades, we will dedicate the resources of our national income to combat the bourgeois falsifiers who wish to stain our patriotic history and poison the education of our people with their deviationist and anti-Party lies."

Link to tweet

Wow, China just seized a US company's local assets in China, gave it to a senior party official, and the whole thing was done in exchange for a $5bn bribe to a charity associated with the party apparatus.

Oh wait, no, got America and China confused in that sentence right there

[NanceGreggs]

3. Brilliant!

Please post as an OP!

[lindysalsagal]

4. +1000. nt.

[lindysalsagal]

5. Pretty sure this breaks a dozen or so laws....

But laws are for losers.

[duforsure]

6. trumps shaking down businesses

Like putin does should be making them run from him and republicans , because they will all be threatened with that from trump eventually, no matter who you are. putin didn't amass billions and billions just from embezzling russian government money. Very likely behind all the treaties he's canceled, just to get a payoff , or redone deal slipping him money for it. We'll be finding out many ways trumps been slipping money from policies into his pockets.

[Nexus2]

7. Did Trump (and his administration) have any interest in TikToc

before the prank its users allegedly pulled on the Tulsa rally staff?

[no_hypocrisy]

8. Don't worry everybody, Trump will keep most of the $5 billion for himself

and it won't meaningfully go into "The History Project."

[Hugin]

9. Keep in mind this is the same guy who was IMPEACHED for quid pro quo.

He insists on a little somethin' somethin' for a taste of the action. The ultimate in pay-for-play.

[sinkingfeeling]

10. Walmart and Oracle will probably do it in a heartbeat.

Both are controlled by folks who favor destroying public education.

[Frustratedlady]

11. This is unbelievable! Surely, it can't be true.

To me, this translates to: $1B for each Trump...unless he decides to keep 2 and leave Tiffany out of the picture.

Dear God, what brought us to this point?

[spanone]

12. another quid pro quo

[Bettie]

13. Corruption out in the open

blatant, obvious, and yet, no one seems to care.

Well, we care, but if this were a Democrat? Well, first off it would never be a Democrat, I'd hope, but if one of ours did this, it would be the lead story for days and there would be charges pretty much immediately.

[Midnight Writer]

14. I bet Betsy DeVoss could come up with a plan to spend 5 bill re-educating our kids.