Dave Portnoy Torches TikTok Ban: ‘I’m More Worried About American Government Disinformation!’

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy called the U.S. government “detached from reality” for the proposed ban on the social media app TikTok.

In April 2024, a GOP-backed bill was signed into law requiring ByteDance — the Chinese company that developed and owns TikTok — to divest from the divest from the app. U.S. officials raised concerns about TikTok’s data collection and its ability to spread potential misinformation.

ByteDance has until Jan. 19 to find a new buyer. Should that not happen — and should President Joe Biden not offer an extension on the deadline — new downloads of the app would be stopped by the law. President-elect Donald Trump has signaled he will block enforcement of the law upon entering office, despite having pushed for a TikTok ban in his first term.

On Thursday, Portnoy called out the government for not considering the fact that some people have made livelihoods on the platform.

“If the U.S. government bans TikTok, it’s just more proof they don’t give a fuck about the American people at all,” Portnoy said in a video posted online. “Like, they have no clue what’s going on. They’re detached from reality. The amount of people — businesses, creators, individuals, whatever you wanna say — who earn a living through TikTok, they have no clue; so just to strip these people of their livelihoods overnight because why? The only thing I could come up with [is] you’re afraid China could use it for disinformation, control the algorithm, show people what they see.

“Listen, if people are too dumb to check where they’re getting information that is important in the first place — what, the U.S. government doesn’t do disinformation? There’s fake shit everywhere you go!”

Portnoy added that there’s “no way” the U.S. government would willingly “ruin” the countless jobs that have been made as a result of TikTok. He also claimed that the fear of Chinese disinformation pales in comparison to the disinformation coming from America.

“There’s just no way you can ruin that maybe jobs, livelihoods, careers, advertising, because you’re afraid of Chinese disinformation,” he continued. “I’m more worried about American government disinformation at this point than the Chinese. Let’s take one thing at a time.”