
Trump Says U.S. Should Get Slice of TikTok Sale Price - dcgudeman
https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-says-u-s-should-get-slice-of-tiktok-sale-price-11596479818
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supernova87a
This is just more of the same behavior we've seen for years now, but you still
throw your hands up and ask, what have we come to as a country? You get tired
of doing this weekly.

That the President could even think of uttering the phrase that "we should get
a cut for allowing this deal to go ahead". As if we're gangsters borderline
extorting businesses because "we wouldn't want any harm to come to your very
nice deal here, would we?"

Pro-business Republicans, this is what the party stands for? The party line
was, benefits of economic growth and business going directly to the people,
not government -- and you'll get behind a statement like this, carving out a
special rule to take a percentage off the top?

~~~
xsmasher
It's like that TOS episode where 1950's gangsters with tommy guns run a
planet.

~~~
pseudolus
"A Piece of the Action" [0].

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Piece_of_the_Action_(Star_Tr...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Piece_of_the_Action_\(Star_Trek:_The_Original_Series\))

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antiviral
“I did say that ‘If you buy it [TikTok]… a very substantial portion of that
price is going to have to come into the Treasury of the United States, because
we’re making it possible for this deal to happen.’ Right now they don’t have
any rights unless we give it to them.”

Can anyone help me understand how this would work?

~~~
piptastic
ex·tor·tion

noun

the practice of obtaining something, especially money, through force or
threats.

~~~
dencodev
is taxation extortion?

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superhuzza
Full article:

[https://archive.fo/3zM7h](https://archive.fo/3zM7h)

Does anybody know of any precedent for this or similar cases? It sounds
extremely illegal to target random business deals like this, but I have no
clue really...

~~~
casefields
>That happened in 2012, the only legal challenge to CFIUS since it was
established in 1975, when Chinese-based Sany Group’s affiliate Ralls Corp.
bought wind farms in Oregon. Then- President Barack Obama ordered Ralls to not
only divest the wind farms, but also forced it to remove items added to the
facilities, including concrete foundation, and barred employee access to the
premises. Sany complied.

[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tiktok-trump-
breaking...](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tiktok-trump-
breakingviews-idUSKBN24Z05O)

~~~
superhuzza
It sounds like a different situation to me - In the Sany case the projects
were simply blocked, there was no question of paying off the treasury
department so the deal could happen.

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tibbydudeza
Nice place you have here , it would be bad if something happened to it.

So the US now does Mafia type of shakedowns ... what a gangsta country.

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Slartie
This is plain and unadorned extortion of money from a foreign company by the
US government, and Trump makes no effort at all of hiding it.

~~~
mytailorisrich
He does talk too much, but in this instance it was already so plain that it
does not change anything.

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sg47
Trump's association with the mafia is coming through.

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username3
Tariffs

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elmerfud
Traditionally governments take a slice of any purchase and it's not viewed as
extortion it's called taxes. Trump can talk all he wants but he doesn't have
the unilateral power to block a sale or issue a tax on that sale.

If the comment is interpreted as a suggestion that taxes should be made then
that is something to be considered as there are always positive and negative
implications to any tax.

~~~
mcphage
> Traditionally governments take a slice of any purchase and it's not viewed
> as extortion it's called taxes.

Do you believe that's what Trump was referring to?

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elmerfud
I believe he's referring to exactly what he refers to most of the time. Just
talk. He has the power to do nothing directly in the case of the sale. So
people crying "extortion" are falling in to the hyperbole trap that was set.
What it might do is prompt a conversation on taxes, but likely nothing at all
will change.

~~~
mcphage
> So people crying "extortion" are falling in to the hyperbole trap that was
> set.

By trap you mean, “pointing out that what he is suggesting is illegal?”

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AnimalMuppet
Sure, go ahead and point that out, loudly and often. It needs to be pointed
out. (And, if and when other presidents do the same, point it out loudly then,
too.)

But "suggesting" is different from "doing" or "ordering". Trump is wishful
thinking out loud. True, he's wishing for things beyond his power and
authority. But until he actually tries to make it happen instead of just
blowing hot air, I'm content to just shake my head. I see no need to be
alarmed... yet.

~~~
bryanlarsen
A "suggestion" from a person in power is considered an order by many.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_no_one_rid_me_of_this_tur...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_no_one_rid_me_of_this_turbulent_priest%3F)

