Gavin Newsom Questions TikTok After Claims It Limits Content Critical Of Trump

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As a Californian, I’m really glad Governor Newsom is taking a serious look at TikTok. He’s officially launched an investigation to find out if the platform is unfairly censoring political views, specifically content critical of Donald Trump. It’s important to make sure TikTok, even with its new American owners, isn’t breaking any state laws by silencing people who disagree with the current administration. I think it’s a crucial step to protect free speech and ensure everyone has a fair voice.

The Governor’s office has confirmed it’s looking into reports that videos are being removed from online platforms. These reports center around content being suppressed after federal agents fatally shot ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis over the weekend, and the office has confirmed several of these instances independently.

Governor Newsom’s office says they’ve received and verified reports that TikTok, after being acquired by a group supportive of President Trump, has been limiting the visibility of posts critical of him.

TikTok’s new U.S. owners, who recently completed a deal to become majority American-owned, have stated they are not politically biased. They explained that videos disappearing and reduced views were due to a technical problem caused by a power outage at one of their data center’s locations. A TikTok U.S. spokesperson said, “It’s incorrect to suggest this was anything other than the technical issue we’ve already reported.”

I’m starting an investigation to determine if TikTok is breaking the law by suppressing content that is critical of Donald Trump.

— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) January 27, 2026

This issue arose shortly after the social media company completed a complicated agreement to comply with federal regulations. The deal involves significant investors like Oracle, Silver Lake, and the Dell Family Office, while ByteDance will still own a small part of the business (19.9%). Traditionally, Republicans have criticized tech companies for leaning left, but Governor Newsom’s actions indicate growing concern about the impact of the new investors who support Donald Trump.

With the ongoing legal debate about what content social media platforms should allow, California’s current review of these practices could become a model for how states oversee the algorithms used by these private companies.

The Governor’s office says they will share the results of the review as soon as they finish gathering information. This investigation represents a major increase in the conflict between powerful tech companies in Silicon Valley and the changing political environment in Washington, D.C.

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2026-01-27 15:14