Viktor Orban made Hungary the illiberal democracy it is today in part by consolidating control of the media in the hands of his friends. In today’s America, Tik Tok is apparently the principal source of news for many people. Is it surprising, then, that Trump would take such a strong interest in its ownership?
Since Orban is a MAGA role model, it is easy to imagine Trump engineering a transaction which results in either the government he will control in a few hours or one of his new right-wing tech allies running Tik Tok. What would Xi demand in return? An end to talk about tariffs? A free hand in Taiwan? TBD.