Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy blasted federal officials for being “detached from reality” — and everyday Americans — just days before TikTok is expected to go dark when a national ban goes into effect Sunday.
Portnoy took aim at government leaders during a more than two-minute rant on Thursday, ripping officials behind the ban for ruining the livelihoods of those who have made a living on the video-sharing platform.
“If the US government bans TikTok, it’s just more proof they don’t give a f–k about the American people at all. Like, they have no clue what’s going on,” Portnoy said in a video posted on X.
4 Portnoy aired his grievances in a more than two-minute rant on X. X/stoolpresidente
Quick Tik Tok rant. pic.twitter.com/g5XtAFe8mv — Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) January 16, 2025
“They’re detached from reality. The amount of people – businesses, creators, individuals, whatever you wanna say – who earn a living through TikTok, they have no clue; so just to strip these people of their livelihoods overnight because why?” he continued.
“The only thing I could come up with is that you’re afraid China could use it for disinformation, control the algorithm, show people what they see,” Portnoy argued.
4 The popular app could go dark on Sunday if the ban takes effect. Getty Images
“Listen, if people are too dumb to check where they’re getting information that is important in the first place – what, the US government doesn’t do disinformation? There’s fake s–t everywhere you go.”
Members of Congress and the Justice Department have alleged that TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, poses a national security threat – capable of secretly manipulating content via its recommended algorithm and mass data collections such as location-tracking, among other risks.
TikTok has denied the allegations and claims a congressional law passed in April forcing the platform to be divested from its Chinese parent company by Jan. 19 – or face a US ban – violates the First Amendment.
4 Officials allege TikTok poses a national security threat. REUTERS
The company also claims it couldn’t have sold the app within the bill’s 120-day timeline.
“There’s just no way you can ruin that many jobs, livelihoods, careers, advertising because you’re afraid of Chinese disinformation,” Portnoy said, while adding that Barstool is “strong” on every platform.
“I’m more worried about American government disinformation at this point than the Chinese. Let’s take one thing at a time.”
TikTok is reportedly planning to shut down the app entirely on Sunday if the ban goes into effect as expected. The roughly 170 million US users who try to access the platform will be redirected to a website with details on the ban.
4 President-elect Donald Trump has recently said he is opposed to the ban and is weighing options to “save” the app. AP
President-elect Donald Trump – once a vocal critic of TikTok who initially led the efforts to block the app – has recently said he is opposed to the ban and is weighing options to “save” the platform.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is expected to attend Trump’s inauguration ceremony on Monday.
Frustrated “TikTok refugees” have since flocked to a China-based alternative app called RedNote, which is known in China as Xiaohongshu, the Mandarin term for “little red book.
Experts warn the platform poses even greater risks to American users.
Dave Portnoy blasted US officials over looming TikTok ban
