Rand Paul on China, Free Speech, and Banning TikTok
Sen. Rand Paul (R–Ky.) has opposed the TikTok ban since it caught on in Congress. In January, sensing a congressional attitude shift after President Donald Trump came to the app’s defense, Paul introduced the Repeal the TikTok Ban Act. The bill is part of Paul’s broader project of trying to keep alive a “consistently free trade and free markets” wing within the Republican Party. Reason‘s Elizabeth Nolan Brown spoke with the senator in January about TikTok, the trouble with isolating ourselves from China, and the divisions between conservatives and libertarians on speech.
Q: What would your Repeal the TikTok Ban Act do, and why is it necessary?
A: I’ve been fighting against the TikTok ban since the idea came around. I think it’s part of an overall hysteria on the Hill about China, and also a misguided approach. I think the more you ban trade, the more you ban things like TikTok, the worse relations get.
I think the [Supreme] Court got it wrong [when it upheld Congress’ forced sale of TikTok]. I don’t think there’s a national security exception to the First Amendment. I think [the Court] said, “Oh, well, if Con
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