Pete Ricketts: “does anybody believe that hashtag ``StandwithKashmir'' is organically more popular than hashtag ``TaylorSwift''? No, of…”

“does anybody believe that hashtag ``StandwithKashmir'' is organically more popular than hashtag ``TaylorSwift''? No, of course not, but right now, on TikTok, hashtag ``StandwithKashmir'' has 20 times more posts than hashtag ``TaylorSwift.'' This is a direct example of the Chinese Communist Party using their control of TikTok to skew public opinion on foreign events in their favor. China is our chief foreign adversary in the world. They are a threat to our national security, our values, our economy, and the CCP works tirelessly every day to undermine our entire way of life. TikTok is one of the ways they are doing that. I understood that as Governor. That is why I was the first Governor in the country to ban the use of TikTok on State devices back in 2020, and that is why I will be voting for this bill today. Today, we are taking action to end the Chinese Communist Party's ability to own and operate TikTok in the United States. TikTok's active users include over 150 million Americans. That is almost half of our country's entire population. It has become the most influential news platform in the country. The percentage of TikTok users who regularly get their news from this app has doubled since 2020. The problem, however, is that what that news is, what slant that news has, is being entirely controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. We don't allow this for TV stations or radio stations. You have to be a U.S.…”