MidReal Story
Fallout: Presidential Race in Turmoil
Scenario: Trump: If TikTok is Banned, I Will free fall out of the U.S. presidential race.
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After a long day of playing rounds of golf with my vice president, Mike Pence, I strutted into the White House press briefing room for a public statement.
I had a lot on my mind and was certainly feeling the pressure in the weeks leading up to the presidential election, but I did not expect what was about to happen.
The flashing cameras, the swarm of reporters, and the looming weight of a decision that could change everything.
“Mr.President, what is the future of TikTok in the United States?”
a reporter shouted as I stepped up to the podium, my hand gripping it tightly as I prepared to answer.
I cocked my head to the side and considered the question, but not for long.
“Listen, I’m a very busy man,” I declared.
“TikTok is an app owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, which is why it has been under scrutiny by me and members of my administration for national security reasons,” I continued.
“If TikTok is banned in the United States, I will free fall out of this presidential race.
You heard it here first.”
The room fell silent as I made my announcement, and some reporters even looked at each other in confusion as they tried to process what was happening.
My vice president stood beside me, his mouth hanging open in shock as he watched me speak.
He’s been with me since the beginning and has always supported me, even when I made controversial decisions, but this was new territory for him too.
I had already threatened to ban TikTok in August if it was not acquired by an American company, but now that time was running out for the acquisition deal to go through, I knew I had to take action.
“This is unprecedented,” one of the reporters managed to say after a moment.
“Yes, it is,” I agreed.
“What are you going to do if they don’t ban it?”
another reporter shouted.
“I’m not at liberty to discuss that at this time,” I answered.
At this point, all eyes were on me as they waited for me to elaborate, but instead, I turned around and left the room.
I heard Pence’s footsteps behind me as we made our way back to the Oval Office together, and I knew he had questions for me.
He always did.
“That was quite a statement you made out there,” he said with a chuckle as he sat down in one of the chairs across from my desk.
“Did you mean it?”
“I do indeed,” I replied.
“It’s very important to me.”
He nodded and sat back in his chair as he crossed his arms over his chest.
