Gavin Newsom Takes Aim At TikTok Amid Allegations Of Trump Content Suppression
California Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered a formal review into TikTok after claims that the platform may be limiting political speech. The investigation will look into whether TikTok is censoring content that criticizes President Donald Trump, which could violate California state laws.
The announcement was made on Monday, January 26. Newsom shared the news on X, saying the state needs to find out if the social media company is silencing voices that speak out against the current administration. The review focuses on TikTok’s operations under its new American ownership.
A spokesperson for the Governor confirmed the investigation and said the office has received multiple reports about restricted content. According to the spokesperson, state officials also verified several cases themselves. These cases include videos that were allegedly suppressed after the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis over the weekend.
In a statement from the Governor’s office, officials said Following TikTok’s sale to a Trump-aligned business group, our office has received reports — and independently confirmed instances — of suppressed content critical of President Trump.
It’s time to investigate.
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) January 27, 2026
I am launching a review into whether TikTok is violating state law by censoring Trump-critical content. https://t.co/AZ2mWW68xa
TikTok’s U.S. ownership group denied the claims. A spokesperson for U.S. TikTok said the missing videos and limited engagement were caused by a technical issue, not political bias. The spokesperson explained that a power outage at a data center partner site led to the problems and added It would be inaccurate to report that this is anything but the technical issues we’ve publicly confirmed.
The controversy comes shortly after TikTok completed a major ownership deal to comply with a federal divestiture law. The new structure creates a majority American-owned joint venture. Investors include Oracle, Silver Lake, and the Dell Family Office, while ByteDance keeps a minority stake of 19.9 percent. While Republicans have often accused tech companies of favoring liberal views, this situation has raised concerns about the influence of pro-Trump investors instead.
The Governor’s office says the findings from the TikTok review will be shared publicly once the first phase of data collection is finished. The investigation could play a major role in shaping how states oversee social media algorithms and content moderation going forward.
The situation adds to growing tension between political leaders and major tech platforms as control and influence over online speech continue to be debated nationwide.
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