Unhinged Democrat Claims Banning TikTok is 'Racist'

The breadth of things that have been called “racist” in recent years seems endless, and just when it seems like everything has been labeled as such, someone discovers something else to add to the list. I learned this week that if you’re white, it is racist to drink coffee. Can you believe that?

Of course, it didn’t take long for something else to be called racist.

According to Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), supporting a ban on TikTok is “racist.”

TikTok influencers descended upon Capitol Hill this week in support of the controversial app, which members of both parties and the military have acknowledged poses a national security risk because of its connection to the Chinese Communist Party.

When President Trump issued an executive order banning TikTok in August 2020, the Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, and the U.S. Armed Forces had already banned the app on federal government phones.

Trump’s order stated that TikTok’s collection of user data, including location, search history, and browsing activity, posed a risk to Americans’ personal and proprietary information. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, a Democrat, even admitted that Trump was right about the risks. Warner argued that China’s ability to have undue influence through technology domination in multiple countries is a more immediate threat than armed conflict.

But that doesn’t seem to matter to Rep. Bowman.

“Why the hysteria and panic and the targeting of TikTok? As we know, Republicans, in particular, have been sounding the alarm, creating a Red Scare around China,” Bowman said while speaking outside the Capitol flanked by TikTok creators.

Bowman bizarrely claimed that TikTok poses an equal risk to Americans as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter—all of which are Americans-owned platforms not linked to an enemy nation.

“So, let’s not marginalize and target TikTok,” Bowman said. “Let’s not have a dishonest conversation. Let’s not be racist towards China and express our xenophobia when it comes to TikTok, because American companies have done tremendous harm to American people.”

Bowman argued that banning TikTok would negatively impact its users and hurt businesses that use it for marketing purposes while also presenting a First Amendment conflict. However, I suspect his motivation to protect the app is a political calculation, similar to the Biden administration’s stance on the controversial platform. Biden’s Commerce Secretary, Gina Raimondo, acknowledged earlier this month that if the Biden administration banned TikTok, it would hurt Democrats politically because they’d lose the support of voters 35 and younger.

Bowman’s disregard for national security concerns linked with TikTok and labeling a potential ban as “racist” is a calculated political decision and tells us that he couldn’t care less about national security if it means preserving power for the Democrats.