California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on X that he is launching a formal review into whether the newly reorganized U.S. operations of TikTok are illegally suppressing content critical of President Donald Trump, after the platform’s high-profile sale to a Trump-aligned business group.
In a pair of posts on X from his press office and his own account, Newsom and his team outlined the basis for the state-level investigation. “Following TikTok’s sale to a Trump-aligned business group, our office has received reports — and independently confirmed instances — of suppressed content critical of President Trump. @CAGovernor Gavin Newsom is launching a review of this conduct and is calling on the California Department of Justice to determine whether it violates California law,” the governor’s press office said.
In another post, Newsom wrote: “It’s time to investigate. I am launching a review into whether TikTok is violating state law by censoring Trump-critical content.”
A sea-change for TikTok in the U.S.
After years of mounting pressure from lawmakers over national security concerns and data privacy risks tied to TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, the platform finalized a deal in Jan. 2026. In it, the platform spun off its U.S. operations into a new entity called TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC with a majority-American ownership structure.
Under that arrangement, Oracle, Silver Lake, and the Abu Dhabi-based investment firm MGX each hold significant stakes, and ByteDance retains a 19.9 percent minority share. The move was intended to satisfy U.S. fears about foreign influence and avert a national ban that loomed under federal law.
Supporters of the restructuring, including Trump, praised it as a victory for U.S. control and data protection. Critics, however, have raised concerns about how shifting control of TikTok “2.0” might influence content.
Newsom’s review focuses specifically on allegations that videos or posts critical of Trump and his policies have been suppressed or blocked. Notably, the governor says his office has found these claims credible enough to launch a legal inquiry.
Is TikTok suppressing Trump, ICE, and Epstein posts?
The specific accusations include reports from users and public figures that TikTok posts critical of Trump or related political topics have failed to appear on the app’s “For You” feed or have received unusually low visibility. Some users also reported being unable to send direct messages containing certain words, including the name “Epstein.”
Some users have voiced frustration about posts concerning other politically charged topics, such as immigration and agency actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), not gaining traction.
TikTok has pushed back against allegations of politically motivated censorship. In statements to media outlets, including Forbes, the company said it does not have any “rules against sharing the name ‘Epstein’” in direct messages. It also said it is investigating why some users have encountered technical problems.
TikTok attributed the issues to a “major infrastructure issue triggered by a power outage” at a U.S. data center. The company said it is working to restore the platform to full functionality, but denied that any deliberate censorship took place.
Newsom’s review will involve the California Department of Justice. The agency will assess whether TikTok’s moderation practices violate state law. Depending on the outcome, this could have significant implications for how social media content is regulated at the state level.
Published: Jan 27, 2026 04:45 pm