Dave Portnoy claims the US government’s TikTok ban reminds him of their response to small business owners during the early weeks of the Covid pandemic.
Before Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday to try to delay the ban on the social platform for 75 days, the Barstool Sports founder blasted the administration for escalating the situation to the point where it was briefly taken offline.
Portnoy said, “This whole situation makes me want to puke. I really hate it.
‘This reminds me of Covid in a way, while the government is just cutting the legs out of so many companies. “You can’t open your doors, you can’t do business, we have to protect you.”
“There are so many creators, small businesses that have spent years building their livelihoods and careers on TikTok.
‘You finally become successful and the government says, ‘boop! Sorry, cut your legs out. You’re done. We don’t trust the Chinese. I know you’ve been working for three years to make a living, but if you’re unlucky, try rebuilding it on another platform, which is next to impossible.
Dave Portnoy claims the US government’s TikTok ban reminds him of the Covid pandemic

The short video app used by 170 million Americans was taken offline for national security reasons
“That’s bulls***, I fucking hate it. Same atmosphere as Covid. The government is playing daddy and all these old congressmen and senators, they have no idea how many people have built their livelihoods on TikTok.
“I think it’s disgusting that they can snap their fingers and ruin these people’s lives.”
Portnoy doubled down on his beliefs Tuesday on Fox’s “Will Cain Show.”
He said: ‘I’m very concerned about how many people are making a living. It’s huge. You cannot underestimate that.
“And just to put it out there – and you’ve got people investing in Meta writing the accounts, it’s all quite confusing.”
The short video app used by 170 million Americans was temporarily taken offline on Saturday evening, shortly before a law took effect on Sunday requiring the app to be sold or banned by Chinese owner ByteDance on national security grounds.
TikTok resumed service on Sunday after Trump assured the company and its partners would not face hefty fines to keep the app running
He then signed an executive order on Monday to delay enforcement of the law for 75 days, after US officials warned there was a risk of US data being misused under Chinese parent company ByteDance.

Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday to try to delay the ban for 75 days
TikTok remained unavailable for download on Apple and Android devices in the United States on Tuesday afternoon.
Some, looking to make a quick profit from TikTok fans’ desperation, listed devices on eBay where the app was reportedly downloaded for up to $50,000.
Trump said Tuesday he was open to billionaire Elon Musk buying TikTok if Tesla’s CEO wanted to.
Bloomberg News reported last week that Chinese officials were in preliminary talks about a possible option to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations to Musk, though the company has denied that.
Trump suggested his administration should have half-ownership of TikTok’s U.S. operations in exchange for keeping the app alive, and warned he could impose tariffs on China if Beijing fails to approve a deal .