‘Brazenly Illegal’: Conservatives Lash Out at Trump for Executive Order Sidestepping TikTok Ban
(Sipa via AP Images)
President Donald Trump is being called out by prominent conservatives by extending the ban on TikTok for another 90 days.
In an executive order issued Thursday, the president gave ByteDance — the Chinese company which owns TikTok — an additional three months to sell the company to an American firm or face a ban in the United States.
“I’ve just signed the Executive Order extending the Deadline for the TikTok closing for 90 days (September 17, 2025),” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
But the executive order completely flouts a bill signed into law in 2024 which was overwhelmingly passed on a bipartisan basis in both the Senate and the House. The House passed the legislation 360-58, while the Senate passed it 79-18.
Axios reported Wednesday, before news of Trump’s extension became official, that numerous Republican Senators were against the move.
“I’m not overly delighted,” Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) told Axios. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“That’s not my favorite thing,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) told Axios. “I’m fine with him trying to sell it, that’s fine, but I think at a certain point we’ve got to enforce this law.”
“I’d like to see the law go into effect,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) added.
A number of prominent right-leaning observers voiced their dissent on Thursday, after the executive order was made public.
“Um there’s nothing in the law (or the Constitution) that allows for this,” wrote Dispatch editor-in-chief Jonah Goldberg.
“Congress passed a law, it has very narrow rules for an extension, he’s nowhere near satisfying them,” National Review senior writer Dan McLaughlin added.
McLaughin’s National Review colleague, senior editor Charles C.W. Cooke, agreed.
“Brazenly illegal,” Cooke wrote.
“This is illegal,” chimed in Fox News’ Guy Benson.
And a number of prominent MAGA accounts likewise broke from Trump — warning about the dangers of the app remaining under the control of a Chinese company:
https://twiiter.com/Bubblebathgirl/status/1935731552832336191
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