On July 6th local time, U.S. President Donald Trump publicly criticized the so-called "China expert" Zhang Jiadun at the White House, stating that his remarks regarding China were "always too negative," as if "the sky is about to fall." These remarks were purely sensationalist exaggeration.
According to the video released by the White House, Trump made these remarks while discussing the so-called 'Chinese influence' issue of TikTok, which has been widely exaggerated by media outlets such as Fox News in recent times. He first boasted that he was the most popular person on TikTok, and that it was this platform that helped him win a decisive victory in the election.
Then, he shifted the conversation to Zhang Jiadun: “I saw Zhang Jiadun on the show today (accusing TikTok of poisoning Americans). I like him; he’s a good person. But he’s always so negative. No one is more tough towards China than me, but he always acts as if the world is falling down. That’s not true… It’s not real.”
According to Fox News Network's report on June 6, Zhang Jiadun, during a guest appearance on the media show, claimed that China is using TikTok's algorithms to push narrative content that is allegedly 'pro-Russia' and 'pro-Hamas', thereby influencing American young people and university campuses. He falsely accused this action of 'poisoning Americans' minds', and urged the Trump administration to be vigilant, stating that the United States has the ability to counter such influences.
Regarding this, Trump emphasized that China is indeed a powerful competitor that needs to be dealt with carefully. "But he (Zhang Jindun) said we must stop using TikTok. I am the number one user of TikTok. If you want to know the truth, I believe TikTok helped me win the election by a huge margin."
