'It's brewing for a while': Bill Maher questions unlikely agreement between AOC and Donald Trump on TikTok ban

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: The House of Representatives approved a bill on March 13 that could pave the way for a potential ban on TikTok in the United States, with a decisive vote of 352 to 65.

During the evening of March 15, Bill Maher hosted a conversation with Republican Representative Nancy Mace and Democratic Representative Ro Khanna, exploring the surprising convergence of viewpoints among figures like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former President Donald Trump in opposition to the proposed ban on a popular app.

Bill Maher questions unlikely alliance against TikTok ban

Maher initiated the conversation by highlighting the concerns surrounding TikTok, which is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company.

He expressed, "Here’s what going on: TikTok, Owned by China — ByteDance, a Chinese company — worried about it poisoning our kids’ minds."

Maher recalled, "So, this has been brewing for a while. Trump brought it up when he was president suggesting we should make TikTok sell to an American company or ban it."

Continuing his commentary, Maher emphasized that the path toward an outright ban on TikTok has gained momentum.

He noted that the Commerce Committee unanimously voted in favor of either banning TikTok or forcing its sale, with a striking vote tally of 50 to nothing.

Maher expressed astonishment at this rare display of unanimous agreement in American politics, humorously adding, "Fifty to nothing? I've never heard that in America, even when we got along."

What further perplexed Maher was the lineup of individuals opposing the proposed ban.

Alongside representatives from divergent ends of the political spectrum such as Mace and Khanna, this unexpected coalition featured Trump, the progressive figure Ocasio-Cortez, and the far-right Rep Marjorie Taylor-Greene.

Maher questions Bipartisan opposition to TikTok ban

"Help me understand the common ground among those opposing the bill," Maher inquired of his guests, questioning why they were advocating to keep TikTok Chinese.

“Well, the common ground is the First Amendment and free speech,” Khanna said, getting an enthusiastic nod from Mace.

“It shows how out of touch Congress is that of all the issues in the country, the thing we can get done in three days is ban TikTok?” he added. 

“You’ve got 72% of Americans who say, let’s pass a data privacy law, let’s make sure that our data doesn’t go to China, let’s make sure your data isn’t taken in an app. By the way, data is coming from data brokers as well,” Khanna added.

He continued, “No, we don’t do that. We do something that 31% of Americans want."

Khanna further questioned the level of connection many members of Congress have with regular TikTok users, highlighting, "I am a strong believer in the First Amendment. It is just out of touch, frankly, what Congress has done."

TikTok ban debate intensifies as Mace and Khanna advocate for First Amendment rights

Echoing Khanna's sentiments, Mace emphasized that much of the opposition to the ban revolves around First Amendment principles.

She also suggested, "I think it’s potentially a Fifth Amendment issue. It’s not the government’s role to ban apps from the app store or ban websites."

The bill in question has been characterized by lawmakers as less of an outright ban on TikTok and more as legislation that would prevent the app from being available in US app stores as long as it remains owned by ByteDance.

As of now, there is no equivalent bill in the Senate, and it remains uncertain whether one will be adopted.

Washington Post columnist Taylor Lorenz, renowned for her coverage of internet culture, has challenged the notion that the proposed legislation is anything less than a total ban on TikTok.

“According to the company itself and so many experts, there is zero way that ByteDance could meet the terms of the sale even if they wanted to,” Lorenz explained.

“The way the bill is structured simply makes it impossible for them to sell. They would have to sell in such a quick timeframe, in a way that is just completely unfeasible,” Lorenz continued.

“And I just want to take a minute to disabuse anyone of the notion that these lawmakers themselves who passed the bill think of it as anything other than an outright ban," she added.