Democratic Rep. Jeff Jackson struck a lighthearted tone as he spoke about the State of the Union while sitting in the kitchen where he filmed some of his TikTok videos.
“It’s a little risky these days to talk about the State of the Union from your kitchen, but let’s give it a try,” the North Carolina Democrat said before discussing how the lights in the room were three times brighter that night as usual. He had bet that there would be a lot of arguing among members of Congress and that, looking up at his wife Marisa, he would give a standing ovation when Biden talked about IVF, since they had gone through the procedure twice.
It’s that kind of nonchalance and relatability that has resonated with TikTok users and helped the congressman gain a sizable following of more than two million followers over the past nearly three years. In addition to referencing the criticism Alabama Sen. Katie Britt received for her portrayal of the Republican Party’s rebuttal in Biden’s speech, Jackson often shares what he experienced during his first term in Congress.
Whether it’s the “false anger” he notes among votes in Congress, or the “toast” during last year’s redrawing of North Carolina’s congressional map, Jackson often describes current affairs and uses videos, such as of him boxing , to paint a picture of how he plans to “pursue political corruption” if he becomes attorney general.
Still, the congressman was among 352 members who voted in favor of legislation that could lead to a nationwide ban on the app, on which he has racked up 36 million likes. Since the bill’s passage in the House of Representatives, TikTok users have flooded the comments section in his recent videos, criticizing Jackson for his recent vote and vowing to unfollow him. Jackson’s number of followers appears to have dropped in recent weeks.
Jackson isn’t the only House representative who has abused the popular app and voted for the bill that could ban the app. Some of these reps actively use the app to boost their campaigns, while others use the app for office communications. Democratic Reps. Colin Allred of Texas, Adam Schiff of California and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan all used TikTok during their Senate campaigns this year.
Jackson took to the app hours later to explain his vote, saying, “I don’t think TikTok will be banned.” The video received several negative reactions and has since been removed from TikTok (it stays at X).
“TikTok may be sold to another company, but it will continue to operate,” Jackson said in the video. “The bill that just passed the House was about telling TikTok to sell to another company.”
He also said in a statement: “I have repeatedly said that ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, should sell its shares. The best-case scenario is that TikTok continues to operate, but is no longer owned – and possibly controlled – by a hostile government. That is exactly what this legislation does.”
In an apology video on Saturday, Jackson stated, “I did not properly handle this situation from top to bottom and that is why I have been completely roasted on this app for the past 48 hours.” He then gave “more explanation” about the bill and voted in favor.
“When I read the bill, the part I agreed with was the part that tries to force a sale, because I thought this would just be a better app if we didn’t have to worry about the things that come with it. could be controlled by a hostile government,” he said.
“The part I didn’t like was the part that threatens a ban. Half the country is on this app. It has become a force for good in the lives of millions of people. So I weighed those two things up and the reason I voted for it was because I honestly believe that the chance of a ban is virtually zero for a lot of reasons,” Jackson continued.
The congressman’s vote for the TikTok bill comes only after a victory in the Democratic primary for North Carolina attorney general last week; Jackson will next face a fellow congressman, Republican Dan Bishop, in November.
Some members who voted in favor of the bill believe the U.S. should be able to regulate the technology.
Although state and federal lawmakers have already banned TikTok on government-owned devices, efforts continue to create new legislation that would regulate the app as U.S. officials have warned for years that China’s intelligence laws could allow Beijing to snoop in the user information that TikTok collects.
“This is a very close issue and I would not lightly take any negative action against a service used by more than half of all Americans,” Rep. Bill Pascrell of New Jersey, whose office uses the app to share information, said in An press release from last week. “But the United States has the right to regulate a social media company controlled by the hostile Chinese authoritarian regime that exercises broad power over American discourse and popular culture.”
While Schiff said he does not support a ban on TikTok while less restrictive remedies are available, he said the legislation “gives the government the power and authority to demand divestiture.”
“The Chinese Communist Party’s ability to exploit private user data and manipulate public opinion through TikTok poses a serious national security problem,” Schiff, who recently advanced to the November election in California’s Senate race, said in a statement . “For this reason, I believe that divestiture is the best option to maintain access to the platform while mitigating these risks.”
The legislative action against TikTok comes amid national security concerns related to its Chinese parent company ByteDance. If the bill passes, TikTok would have about five months to break away from ByteDance, otherwise app stores in the United States would be banned from hosting the app on their platforms.
The bill would have to pass both the House of Representatives and the Senate before being sent to the president to be signed into law. Although it passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support, the legislation’s fate in the Senate, where there is no companion bill, is less clear. President Joe Biden, whose campaign has its own TikTok account, said he would sign the bill if it reaches his desk.
The issue of a ban
A number of representatives who voted in favor of the bill have emphasized that it is not intended as a ban on TikTok.
“The Chinese government remains the most active and persistent cyber threat to the United States,” Allred, who is challenging Sen. Ted Cruz, said in a news release Wednesday. “This is not a ban, but creates a system to preserve TikTok and protect our freedoms and privacy by requiring ByteDance to fully withdraw from TikTok.”
Other representatives have acknowledged their staff’s use of the app. Slotkin said in a statement on X: “It is important to recognize that I benefit from TikTok’s ability to reach Michiganders.
“I am a candidate, as you said, for Senate,” Slotkin, who is running to succeed Sen. Debbie Stabenow, told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell on Thursday. “Most of us want TikTok to be available, right? Don’t you think I have nieces, nephews and staff who are on TikTok and love it? Naturally. I don’t want to ban it. I just don’t want the Chinese government to control that data.”
But TikTok said they hope the Senate will realize the app’s impact and denounced the swift implementation of the bill by lawmakers in the House of Representatives.
“This process was secret and the bill was blocked for one reason: it is a ban. We are hopeful that the Senate will consider the facts, listen to their constituents and realize the impact on the economy, 7 million small businesses and the 170 million Americans who use our service,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a declaration.
Annie Wu Henry, a digital strategist who denounced Sen. John Fetterman’s presence on the app during his 2022 campaign, said TikTok creates an accessible and equitable space for individuals, politicians, organizations and activists to have their voices heard and a platform to have. She said the online space is becoming increasingly important and is an additional tool that can be used to organize people, raise money, communicate information and for brand and brand awareness.
“It would be a loss of a place where people can organize, a place where people can use their voices, a place where people can also express their public opinions,” Henry said.
Constituent communication
In addition to the members of the House of Representatives who jumped on the app for campaign purposes, several members use the app through their offices to discuss the latest news and what they are working on in Congress.
Of the members using it to share what their offices are planning, Democratic Reps. Sean Casten of Illinois, Greg Landsman of Ohio, Wiley Nickel of North Carolina, Pascrell and Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico voted in favor of the bill that could ban TikTok in the US
Landsman said he uses most social media platforms to “communicate with constituents about the services they may be eligible for, how we can be helpful, and the legislation we are working on. Just be as transparent and responsible as possible.”
The Democratic congressman said that if TikTok is banned, he will continue to use the social media platforms that are not banned, but said: “I don’t think that’s going to happen here.”
“It’s actually a sales TikTok invoice, not a ban TikTok invoice. So this gives the administration and those involved, who are much closer to this, the leverage they need to get this case resolved,” he said.
Henry said what worries her is further down the line: “It kind of opens the floodgates to banning other apps because what if something else comes along? Will it be banned because people have concerns about it, or maybe because people just don’t like it?”
CNN has contacted the offices of Casten, Nickel and Stansbury for comment.
For more CNN news and newsletters, create an account at CNN.com