- TikTok appears to be censoring all anti-Trump and anti-ICE content, says California Governor Gavin Newsom
- Newsom’s press office received reports that TikTok removed content critical of Trump and launches formal investigation
- More users are reporting similar occurrences, which have increased since the recent US deal with TikTok was finalized just a few days ago.
TikTok has found itself in the middle of yet another controversy, and this time the platform is under fire for allegedly censoring content critical of President Donald Trump, California Governor Gavin Newsom claims.
Newsom has been outspoken about TikTok’s possible violations after his office received “reports and independently confirmed cases” revealing that TikTok potentially removed or reviewed anti-Trump and anti-ICE content, which comes just days after the platform finalized a new $14 billion deal backed by Trump.
The governor shared a message with What evidence does Newsom’s office have that TikTok censored this anti-Trump content?
It’s time to investigate. I am launching an investigation into whether TikTok is violating state law by censoring content critical of Trump. https://t.co/AZ2mWW68xaJanuary 27, 2026
On Governor Newsom’s X account (see above), he reposted an image shared by user @intelligentpawg showing a private TikTok DM message containing the word “Epstein” — which could not be sent due to what TikTok considers a violation of community guidelines, Newsom’s press office claims. Since this was shared online, more users have reported similar occurrences, like the Reddit user below.
We are censored on r/TikTok
Although the White House and TikTok have yet to release a statement on a possible increase in censorship, news outlet Politico spotted an X-rated post from the USDS Joint Venture TikTok account drawing attention to recent bugs in the app. According to the release, TikTok experienced “major infrastructure issues” due to a power outage in its data center.
An update on our work to restore and stabilize TikTok. pic.twitter.com/PZzsuFeZmjJanuary 26, 2026
Although this has been fixed, TikTok says users are still likely to experience temporary issues such as slower loading times and even seeing 0 likes and views on some videos – but many are not convinced by this.
“I’m done with the app”
TikTok can blame bugs and outages all it wants, and while Newsom’s claims have yet to be proven, TikTok is failing to convince frustrated users otherwise. And given the people behind the latest deal that once again extended TikTok’s lifespan in the United States, some find it hard to base their suspicions of censorship on bugs.
The biggest and most influential name behind the $14 billion deal is Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, who, in addition to being a billionaire, is a longtime Trump supporter. That alone has raised many eyebrows, and now the apparent rise in anti-Trump censorship is being blamed on TikTok’s new investors. It’s worth remembering, however, that this isn’t the first time Ellison has contributed to a major investment in social media.
In 2022, when Elon Musk purchased what is now known as X, Ellison provided generous funding to ensure Musk’s acquisition would go through. Since then, Ellison’s son has even entered the media field by acquiring Paramount Global and its subsidiaries, including Paramount+, Comedy Central and the CBS network.
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