‘Shut up about China’: MAGAs flamed by a former Republican representative as TikTok ban looms overhead

TikTok’s days in America are sadly drawing to a close, but one Republican sees a bright side to the looming ban: maybe MAGA will stop talking about China.

“Shut up about China” writes former Republican Representative Alex Kinzinger in an open letter to MAGA on X. “With Trump inviting the TIKTOK CEO… it is clear Trump is absolutely NOT concerned with China and their spying.” The invitation in question is the one Trump extended to Shou Chew, the Singaporean CEO of ByteDance subsidiary TikTok, who was offered a front row seat at Trump’s Inauguration.

Trump’s invitation to Chew signifies a total 180 from the president-elect’s former stance on TikTok, which he himself attempted to ban via executive order in 2020. Trump recently announced that he has a “warm spot” for the app, and has claimed that he wants to “save” TikTok from a ban. His comments are at odds with many U.S. government officials, who moved to ban in the app due to national security concerns. Many officials fear that TikTok’s parent company ByteDance could be pressured by the Chinese government to hand over information collected by the platform that pertains to its American users.

Chew’s reception in Washington will hopefully be warmer than it was a year ago, when the CEO appeared before Congress to testify about TikTok’s business and data collection practices. The interview was an embarrassment for many U.S. lawmakers, some of whom appeared completely ignorant during the exchange. One on the most egregious examples was R-Ark. Tom Cotton, who repeatedly asked Chew if he was Chinese or had ever been involved in the Chinese Communist Party. “I’m Singaporean,” repeated Chew, baffled by the Cotton – who appeared not to understand that China and Singapore were two different countries. The exchange went viral on social media platforms (TikTok included) as a symbol of ignorance and racism in the halls of the American government.

While Trump’s invitation to Chew signifies that Trump’s attitude to TikTok has softened, the president-elect has made his hardline stance on China known. In the lead-up to his Inauguration, Trump announced that he intends to impose steep tariffs on Chinese imports, signifying a looming trade war between the world’s two economic superpowers. China isn’t the only recipient of economic hostility, and Trump has announced his intent use “economic force” in order to annex Canada into the United States. Trump has also begun playing hardball against Greenland and Panama, and has refused to rule out the idea of claiming the world’s largest island and the Panama Canal through military might.

Trump’s acrimonious foreign policy decisions, play well with his MAGA base, many of whom were stirred into a xenophobic frenzy over Trump’s frequent rhetorical attacks on undocumented migrants. Trump has called undocumented immigrants “animals” and “stone cold killers,” and has promised that he will forcibly remove migrants via the largest “mass deportation” effort in United States history. Trump has also used xenophobic language in reference Chinese people, which he put on full display by repeatedly calling Covid-19 the “China virus” during the pandemic.

In light of Trump’s recent talk with Chairman Xi Jinping, Adam Kizinger once again highlighted Trump’s hypocrisy when it comes to China. In a post on Truth Social, Trump announced that he and Jinping would be working together to “solve many problems,” including the future of TikTok.

Kinzinger wasn’t alone in his criticism of Trump’s hypocrisy, the rest of the internet followed suit.

While Trump may tout himself as TikTok’s savior, the internet isn’t fooled.