“Fox and Friends” host Steve Doocy questioned Wednesday morning why Republicans suddenly have cold feet about banning TikTok.
The House of Representatives will vote Wednesday on a bill that may lead to video-sharing platform TikTok being banned from the United States. Several GOP lawmakers and former President Donald Trump have since walked back their support of a TikTok ban, prompting Doocy to raise questions regarding their change of heart.
The “Fox and Friends” host interviewed Karen Frederick, The Heritage Foundation’s Tech Policy Director, about possible GOP opposition to the potential TikTok ban.
“Okay. So what is going on? Because it sounds like it probably can pass the house, but in the eleventh hour, suddenly some Republicans are going ‘you know what, I’m not so sure about this,'” Steve Doocy asked Frederick.
“So this has been really interesting. So it sailed out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee 50 to zero last week. That was remarkable. A lot of this process has been kept under wraps so TikTok couldn’t mount that extensive lobbying effort that they’re very famous for. They sort of punch down other attempts to contend with the TikTok, and the Chinese Communist Party ownership question there,” Frederick stated.
“But yes, it looks like there is some sort of consternation. I think if people actually read the bill, they pay attention to the letter of the potential legislation, they’re gonna be mollified. They’re gonna understand that all this bill does is ask ByteDance to sever ties with the Chinese Communist Party, allow TikTok to become an American company, and if it doesn’t then it faces a prohibition on app stores and web hosting services,” Frederick said.
“Very, very simple. The choice is clear: cut your ties with the CCP, and you can continue to operate as normal,” she continued. “We should be able to keep the Chinese Communist Party out of the pockets of our children. Simple as that.”
“Well, absolutely,” Doocy said. “And a bunch of Republicans have been for a ban or for divestiture for a long time. So it’s kind of weird that they’re doing a 180. You know, ultimately, it will probably pass the house. The big question is if it is ever brought up to the Senate.”
The “Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” would give ByteDance, a Chinese company, about six months to sell TikTok if enacted. The bill passed The House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously Thursday when all members voted in favor of advancing the legislation. (RELATED: ‘I’ll Buy It’: ‘Shark Tank’ Star Kevin O’Leary Ready To Snap Up TikTok If Bill Clears The Way)
Trump warned against banning TikTok on Thursday, concerned that doing so would benefit Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook. The former president previously attempted to ban the application through executive orders, but federal judges ruled against them and President Joe Biden repealed them in 2021.