TikTok Is Creating a Very Rare Split Between Trump and Conservatives

Republican allies say they understand Trump’s concerns. They just don’t all plan to vote his way.

TikTok
Michael Dwyer/AP

In a rare move, Republicans are breaking away from Donald Trump in supporting a bill that could functionally lead to a U.S. ban of TikTok if the app’s Chinese owners don’t sell it.

Rep. Mike Gallagher, who introduced the bill that the House is set to vote on on Wednesday, told NOTUS that Trump’s opposition would not sway his colleagues from supporting the bill. Instead, he credited the former president for starting the move against TikTok’s ownership during his administration, and he said that if the bill somehow sticks around through early next year, it could present a new President Trump with an early-term victory.

Gallagher said the bill “would furthermore put Trump in a position, depending on the timeline of when it’s passed, to consummate the deal of the century. And for a man who fancies himself a dealmaker, I would imagine that’s an attractive prospect.”