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Ro Khanna
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Stephen A. Smith
What's happening?
Narrator
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Ro Khanna
Let.
Stephen A. Smith
Me touch on this story involving TikTok, the restoration of TikTok, because it was canceled. It blacked out. You know, it was blacked out in the United States of America, as you can see there. You know, people crying, kids crying, everybody going crazy and stuff like that. And then it ultimately was restored and naturally now President Donald Trump, then President elect Donald Trump was taking credit for its restoration at its celebration and stuff like that. But before I get into that, I want to show you Donald Trump speaking about TikTok years ago when he was the president, and then him speaking about it recently and taking credit for its restoration. Take a look.
Donald Trump
When I wanted to disable TikTok three years ago, I was met with opposition from RINOs, Democrats, and everyone else. They actually went to court in an effort to stop me. We're looking at TikTok. We may be banning TikTok. We may be doing some other things. There are a couple of options, but a lot of things are happening, so we'll see what happens. But we are looking at a lot of alternatives with respect to TikTok. We gave them until September 15th. After that, they got a closed shop. Okay, that's TikTok. We're looking at TikTok. We're thinking about making a decision.
Ro Khanna
We're Going to be watching the hearings.
Donald Trump
Today very closely because there's no question, is that what the big tech companies are doing? And as of today, Tik Tok is back. So, you know, I did a little TikTok thing. We have a guy, TikTok Jack, he's a young kid, like 21 years old. And we hired this guy and I went on TikTok, can you believe what I'll do to win an election? And we went on TikTok. And Republicans have never won the young vote, the youth vote. They win a lot of votes, but they never won the youth vote. We won the youth vote by 36 points. So I like TikTok. I like it.
Stephen A. Smith
Now he likes it. Amazing what election time can do for you. So now he's got TikTok, because the executive for TikTok was at the inauguration. Of course, Jeff Bezos for Amazon was there. Mark Zuckerberg for Meta, Facebook, Instagram, he was there. And of course, Elon Musk for X is there. Notice how your now president is insulating himself with individuals who control airwave spend, et cetera, because all the newspapers in the country, all the television networks, they don't have the reach these streaming platforms have. And you have an opportunity to control dissemination of messages the world over. Everybody don't have ESPN and Fox News and all of this stuff, but they got Tick Tock, they got X, they got Meta, Facebook, Instagram, that kind of thing. They got that these, most of them do. Anyway, before I get to Representative Connor on his show with me, I wanted you to see what Roland Martin had to say about this whole Tick Tock brouhaha. And now President Donald Trump. Take a look.
Roland Martin
So let me explain to y'all real quick. The con artist, Donald Trump. It was Donald Trump who called for the ban of Tick Tock. It was Donald Trump who pushed Congress to get it done. More Republicans voted to ban TikTok than Democrats. Go look at Charlie Kirk, okay? Trump's biggest ass kisser. You know what he was saying? He was tweets saying, we've got to get rid of TikTok. The Chinese government owns it now it's, oh, we have to save TikTok. So Donald Trump is going to try to set him up as, oh, I saved saved Tick Tock when he was the one who initiated the ban. Y'all gotta stop falling for the okie doke with this con artist, okay? Just stop falling for it. And so if he tries to force to be sold to American, he wants it to be sold to his conservative folks. So they can control Tick tock, Twitter, meta, Instagram and all the platforms. Don't be conned.
Stephen A. Smith
Exactly. Roland Martin is absolutely right. The only thing Roland Martin did wrong in that video was the outfit that he was wearing because the Houston Texans just got sent home by the Kansas City Chiefs. Although controversially, I might add, because so many people thought that that phantom call against in favor of Patrick Mahomes against Will Anderson and those boys was ridiculous. But the only thing wrong with what Roland Martin showed you there was the outfit he was wearing because they home and Kansas City Chiefs are in the AFC Championship game yet again. Having said all of that, he's not wrong. We can see that. Boo Boo the fool can see that. We know exactly what Donald Trump is doing with this regard because he wants TikTok to be purchased, you know, away from ByteDance, which is China owned and owned by some US corporation, probably some conservative arm. And yet as a result, they'd be beholden to him and his messengering. And so you have a situation where It'd be, again, TikTok, Meta, Facebook, Instagram, X, et cetera. You know, Amazon with its distribution army, because it ain't just goods and services, they got it. They got a streaming arm itself that is formidable and is growing every single day with Jeff Bezos at the helm. Okay, I got news for you. Look at who Donald Trump has surrounded himself with. He's insulated himself. And at any given moment, as the President of the United States, he's going to have a heavy hand. The Dems saw this, but you still messed up because you didn't have a candidate to beat them. It's that simple. You did this to yourself. That's just the truth. But that's a different subject for another day. Staying with TikTok, there is a Democratic representative that's been doing good work and has been saying some very productive things on this subject for very substantive reasons. He is a representative out of the 17th district of California. He is Mr. Ro Khanna. He is with me right now. Representative Connor. How are you, sir? How's everything going?
Ro Khanna
Good, Steven, and thank you for having me on your show. I've been a fan for years, so I'm glad to be on the honor.
Stephen A. Smith
And privilege is mine. So before I even get into these questions about TikTok, I'm assuming that yourself, your family, your homes are safe and everything is okay with you out in California. I think it'd be appropriate to start there, sir. How are, how are things?
Ro Khanna
I appreciate it. I'm up in the north of the state, Silicon Valley. So we've been safe. Unfortunately, some of the constituents have family friends in la, which has just been devastated. I'm glad we were talking earlier and I'm glad your home is, is okay. But I'm sure you know, a ton of people who just lost their homes, devastated. Some haven't been able to move back in. It's just been awful. And I hope the country can come together to rebuild and forget the politics. Every people's lives are at stake. Their homes are at stake. We got to come together on this.
Stephen A. Smith
I completely agree with you, absolutely. And that's something that we are gonna talk about in the days, the weeks and the months to come. Make no mistake about that. But one of the other things that have basically rocked the foundation of America, at least for a little bit, was the specter of TikTok being canceled. And obviously you've been a preeminent voice on that issue. Just to educate my audience, tell the audience about what the whole TikTok issue is about and what your position on it has been all along.
Ro Khanna
There is a concern that TikTok is owned by a Chinese Communist Party's affiliate, some company connected to the Chinese Communist Party. Now, 60% of the investors are American, but the concern was, could our data go to the Chinese government or could the Chinese government interfere with the algorithm? And what I said is, okay, if you have those concerns, first of all, show evidence of it. Show evidence that it's TikTok doing it and not data brokers or other social media. And let's pass a law saying it's illegal to take any American data and give it to the Chinese Communist Party, or pass a law saying the Chinese Communist Party shouldn't be interfering on any social media algorithm. But instead what the law did is it called for banning it. And I'll tell you, I talked to some of the people on TikTok. Folks think it's all song and dance or just sports. It's not. I mean, I talked to a mom, her husband cheated on her, she's got four kids, two toddlers, two special needs kids, she was broke on one of her friends couches for four months. And then she started telling her story on TikTok and she makes 60 to 70 grand to take care of her kids, someone else is paying rent, and all of this was going to get shut down. And so we had 1.3 million people in 48 hours sign a petition saying, keep this up. And fortunately, even though it went dark, it's now up. And I don't think banning the app.
Stephen A. Smith
Is the solution when people wanted it banned. Who exactly were these people? Number one and number two, what was the most profound argument you were concerned was being made to indeed ban TikTok?
Ro Khanna
Well, a lot of these people were China hawks. They, they said that we can't have China have any control over Americans data. And if I actually thought that our data was getting in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party through TikTok and that there was no other way to prevent it, I'd be for the ban. But there are other solutions. The Texas Project, for example, says make sure all the data is managed by Oracle and you can't have any of the data leave the United States. If I really thought the Chinese Communist Party was doing this, algorithms to manipulate things, I'd be concerned. That was the concern. But look, Steve and I, we have a history in this country of using national security concerns for government overreach. We interned all the Japanese with FDR, McCarthy era. We called everyone a communist. I think this was government overreach.
Stephen A. Smith
You know, I thought about that myself. The thing that kind of scared me, what have you, is when they kept like you called them China hawks. I mean that's an appropriate way to label those folks. But when, when they brought in issues of using these apps, these algorithms, et cetera, to sort of spy on us, to indoctrinate our children with certain things. And then you see I have two daughters and you see how addicted these young minds are to TikTok. The part about adults using it as a small business essentially to generate revenue for themselves. That's entirely different than youngsters using it. It being a form of education for them, a news outlet for them in various situation many situations, I might add. What about those China hawks who made those concerns? How much did that move you, if at all?
Ro Khanna
Well, the young people reaching out moved me a lot. I had a lot of nephews and nieces who I've been in Congress eight years, who have never cared about a single thing I did, who suddenly started texting me saying please save TikTok. And there's a lot of good uses of TikTok even for young folks, whether they're building community or of whether they're learning on education. Now, social media has harms and I'm not going to deny that some of the social media has harmed young people, particularly young girls with eating disorder issues or suicidal thoughts. And so fine, let's pass. There's a Kids Online Safety act that says let's create a standard so that any of these Apps, whether It's Facebook, Instagram, TikTok should not be proliferating things to young folks that are going to cause harm. But you can't just ban the app and take away a sense of community for folks. And this evening, most of the people in Congress. Here's the hypocrisy that I want to point out. They voted for the ban, and then they go tell their campaign teams, go get me the most followers on TikTok, because that's where the voters are. And everyone, every member of Congress, every senator, everyone running for president wanted to grow their following. So there was a lot of hypocrisy in the whole thing.
Stephen A. Smith
We saw it ahead of TikTok. The owner of TikTok, he was seen at now President Donald Trump's inauguration. What are we to make of that in your eyes?
Ro Khanna
I'm sure they have some kind of an agreement. You know, I believe that he's probably trying to curry favor with Trump. In my view, we shouldn't allow Trump to be the savior here. It should be a position that even Democrats say that there should be American investment, but not a ban. But my guess is that that was orchestrated with Trump and the TikTok CEO, that it would go dark for 12 hours and then Trump would reinstate it. And they probably have some agreement already.
Stephen A. Smith
How much from a percentage standpoint, Representative Connor, how much would you say in terms of support you've received from the left as opposed to the other side of the aisle on the right? How would you, percentage wise, what kind of percentage would you place on the level of support you've received with your position on this?
Ro Khanna
You know, it's been both, actually. I think a lot of it. On the TikTok position, of the 1.3 million signatures, probably over half, because I'm on the left, and as a Democratic politician, over half of it has been the left. But we've also had conservatives. And the reality is there are a lot of young people who have out of the mainstream views, whether it's on foreign policy, whether it is on policies that are more conservative. And they're saying, you get all these politicians saying, we want young people involved, then they get involved on these apps and they're taking those apps away. So I, you know, I think we're moving in this country not to left, right, but more towards people questioning the establishment and wondering, are you for people, or are you going to just do what this beltway establishment has done? And frankly, I think for the Democratic Party to get on the right side of this, we Gotta be listening to people. It's one of the reasons I enjoy your commentary even when I don't agree with you, because you don't just listen to what the think tank and groups tell you. You know, one of the biggest myths in Washington, they tell you 200 groups are for something. And I want to know how many people, because a lot of times it's 200 groups with 130 people. And they just make these organizations up and they're not listening to people on the ground.
Stephen A. Smith
You know, I really, really appreciate it more than, you know, you saying that about me, Congressman. Because here's the thing. I don't pretend to be right all the time, not by a long shot. What I'm saying is the information that is available to us, I look at it and deduce what my opinion should be based on the information that's given. Somebody like you is significantly more informed. You'll know more than I do. So will others. But you know the argument I make to people like that, I say to them, I'm the voter. Because most voters aren't, as you know, in tuned with all of the intel and all of the information. What are you going to say to the voter out there? You don't know. Excuse me. They know enough to decide what they want to vote about and what they want to vote in favor of. And I think it's important that you mention that because I think that's one of the things that so many people miss. They're really ready to come back and talk about what's right and wrong as opposed to looking at the information that's disseminated and understanding. People are basing their feelings, their emotions, their passions based off of the intel that has been presented to them. So I think it's important to say that. Having said that, there are different versions of TikTok in other countries. Could you explain why that is and whether or not that is a concern you may have?
Ro Khanna
Well, look, this is one of the reasons other countries like India or others have banned TikTok because they felt that TikTok was going to propagate false information or propaganda. Couple things. One, I actually think the free speech tradition in America is very strong and there are multiple apps and we can educate young people and our citizens to have common sense. I wouldn't undersell yourself, Stephen A. I mean, you may not have all the details, but you've got common sense and you have an independent opinion. Like, I don't know, a lot of times I see people on tv, I can tell you exactly what they're going to say. I can finish their sentences in your case. I don't know. Is he going to be for the Democratic position? Is he going to agree sometimes with the independent or Republican position? Because it's common sense. That's what most people are. And I think what we need to focus in this country on is making sure in high school and junior high school kids have the ability to think for themselves and then be on multiple platforms instead of being so hyper concerned about where they're going to get their information.
Stephen A. Smith
Got it. Should the fact that TikTok is banned in mainland China be of concern? Because it clearly is. I mean, I'm not, I don't want to accuse you of not being concerned about it, but certainly it doesn't supersede whether you feel. Are you concerned about that at all?
Ro Khanna
Well, I'm concerned about China in general banning, not just TikTok. But why do they ban X? I mean, I think Elon Musk had a reasonable point that if we're going to allow TikTok, you should be allowing X, you should be allowing Instagram. But look, China is not the United States of America. I mean, the reason everyone around the world wants to come to the United States of America is because we're a free country. Because you can have differences of opinion. I mean, yeah, China has created a huge manufacturing base, they've created a trillion dollar export economy, but you can't have an opinion there. You can't criticize gping, you can't go run for office, you can't be a commentator with a podcast. I don't want to live in that society. So is China playing Fear? No. But does that mean that America should model ourselves over China? Absolutely not. We're a better organized society.
Stephen A. Smith
You've led legislation, right, to keep the app. Where do you go from here? Because it was canceled and now it's back up, but we don't know how long. What do you think is next?
Ro Khanna
Well, Rand Paul and I have legislation to try to repeal the legislation that calls for a ban on TikTok and have something more common sense that says protect Americans data with a data privacy law, protect American social media from foreign interference by the Chinese Communist Party or other adversaries. But if that legislation doesn't pass and it's an uphill battle to get enough House and Senate members, I'm going to work with Michael Waltz, who's President Trump's National Security advisor. He and I were colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee in Congress and to work with him to see how do we have a resolution to this so that you don't have this drama happening every 90 days, but that we get TikTok operational compliant, assuring people that their data is going to be safe.
Stephen A. Smith
Representative Ro Khanna. Representative, Congressman from the 17th district of California, it's been an honor and a privilege to have you on today, sir. Thank you so much. You take care.
Ro Khanna
My Honor, thank you for having me and talking about this.
Stephen A. Smith
Yes, sir. You heard what he had to say. It's a lot to think about, and especially taking into account what he explained and what Roland Martin pointed out and what we've seen is the visuals alone. We need to keep our eyes on what exactly is going to happen with TikTok. Yes, it's been restored, but for how long? What legislation, if any, will be passed now that the Republicans have control of the House and the Senate and the White House? And then in the aftermath of all of that, if it ultimately is confiscated from the hands of some Chinese entity and it's placed in the hands of someone in America, or businesses in America, how beholden will those businesses be to Donald Trump? And how will the narratives be influenced now and for years to come? You can call it whatever you want. They can call it fascism or whatever the case may be. Hell, in the end, we don't know. They might be right. But all it would mean, if you're a Democrat, if you're a Democratic representative, if you're a member of that side of the aisle, all it would mean is that you did it, not the American people. Had you taken care of us the way you were supposed to, by making sure the right things were important to the constituency, it would not have come to this. It's on y'all. Not us, not people like me who voted for you, and not people like Donald Trump supporters who voted against you and voted for him. You did this. He was done in 2021. You resurrected him. Live with that. We know we have to, but we damn sure don't have to listen to you tell us, especially when you're the ones at fault in the end.
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Stephen A. Smith
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Summary of "The Stephen A. Smith Show" Episode: Interview Only – CA Representative Ro Khanna has 480K Signatures to Stop TikTok Ban
Release Date: January 21, 2025
Host: Stephen A. Smith
Guest: Representative Ro Khanna, California's 17th District
The episode delves into the highly contentious issue surrounding the potential ban of TikTok in the United States. Stephen A. Smith initiates the discussion by highlighting the emotional and societal impact the blackout of TikTok had on American users, mentioning the chaos and distress it caused among users nationwide.
Notable Quote:
Stephen A. Smith [01:04]: "I want to show you Donald Trump speaking about TikTok years ago when he was the president, and then him speaking about it recently and taking credit for its restoration."
Stephen A. Smith presents a clip of then-President Donald Trump discussing his intent to ban TikTok three years prior. Trump outlines his frustrations with opposition from Democrats and other political factions, emphasizing his administration's desire to explore alternatives and possibly ban the platform.
Notable Quote:
Donald Trump [01:41]: "When I wanted to disable TikTok three years ago, I was met with opposition from RINOs, Democrats, and everyone else."
Smith critically analyzes Trump's recent praise of TikTok, suggesting that Trump's alignment with major tech figures like Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk indicates a strategic move to control media dissemination channels.
The conversation shifts to Roland Martin's outspoken criticism of Donald Trump's role in the TikTok saga. Martin accuses Trump of initially pushing for the ban and later claiming credit for its reinstatement, labeling Trump as a "con artist." He warns of potential conservative ownership of TikTok, which could lead to undue influence over the platform's content.
Notable Quote:
Roland Martin [04:31]: "It was Donald Trump who called for the ban of TikTok. It was Donald Trump who pushed Congress to get it done."
Stephen A. Smith welcomes Representative Ro Khanna, commending his efforts and expressing concern over recent devastations in California, particularly in Los Angeles. Khanna responds by assuring the audience of his and his family's safety while empathizing with constituents affected by recent events.
Notable Quote:
Ro Khanna [07:46]: "We got to come together on this. Every people's lives are at stake. Their homes are at stake."
Khanna elaborates on the primary concerns driving the push to ban TikTok, which include data security risks associated with the Chinese Communist Party's potential access to American users' data and the manipulation of social media algorithms. He emphasizes the lack of concrete evidence linking TikTok directly to these threats.
Notable Quote:
Ro Khanna [08:47]: "If you have those concerns, first of all, show evidence of it. Show evidence that it's TikTok doing it and not data brokers or other social media."
Khanna recounts the grassroots support for keeping TikTok operational, citing a petition with 1.3 million signatures within 48 hours. He advocates for legislative measures that protect data privacy without resorting to outright bans, such as ensuring data is managed by U.S.-based companies like Oracle.
Notable Quote:
Ro Khanna [10:36]: "If I really thought the Chinese Communist Party was doing this, algorithms to manipulate things, I'd be concerned. That was the concern. But look, Steve and I, we have a history in this country of using national security concerns for government overreach."
Khanna points out the hypocrisy among legislators who initially supported the ban but later seek to leverage TikTok for political gain, reflecting a broader issue of political double standards.
Notable Quote:
Ro Khanna [12:18]: "Most of the people in Congress voted for the ban, and then they go tell their campaign teams, go get me the most followers on TikTok, because that's where the voters are."
Discussing the path forward, Khanna mentions his collaboration with Rand Paul to draft legislation aimed at repealing the TikTok ban. The proposed laws focus on data privacy and safeguarding social media platforms from foreign interference without banning them outright. He also touches on potential bipartisan efforts to stabilize TikTok's operational status.
Notable Quote:
Ro Khanna [19:16]: "Rand Paul and I have legislation to try to repeal the legislation that calls for a ban on TikTok and have something more common sense that says protect Americans data with a data privacy law."
Smith wraps up the episode by reflecting on the complexities of the TikTok debate. He underscores the uncertainty surrounding TikTok's future in the U.S. and expresses skepticism about the motives behind its potential acquisition by American businesses, questioning the influence such ownership could wield on public narratives.
Notable Quote:
Stephen A. Smith [20:17]: "What legislation, if any, will be passed now that the Republicans have control of the House and the Senate and the White House? And then in the aftermath of all of that, if it ultimately is confiscated from the hands of some Chinese entity and it's placed in the hands of someone in America, or businesses in America, how beholden will those businesses be to Donald Trump?"
Smith concludes by attributing the current TikTok turmoil to political maneuvers, criticizing both Democratic representatives and Trump supporters for their roles in the ongoing saga.
Data Privacy vs. Freedom of Expression: The balance between safeguarding American data and preserving free social media platforms.
Political Hypocrisy: Examination of how political figures advocate for bans while simultaneously using banned platforms for self-promotion.
Legislative Solutions: Ro Khanna’s push for comprehensive data privacy laws as an alternative to outright bans.
Grassroots Mobilization: The significant public support against the TikTok ban, highlighting the platform's role in personal and economic spheres.
Bipartisan Collaboration: Efforts by lawmakers like Khanna and Rand Paul to find middle-ground solutions that address security concerns without infringing on user freedoms.
The TikTok ban debate is a multifaceted issue involving national security, data privacy, political strategy, and public sentiment.
Representative Ro Khanna advocates for evidence-based legislation to protect data without restricting platform access, emphasizing the importance of community and economic opportunities TikTok provides.
Critics like Roland Martin highlight the political exploitation of TikTok for personal gain and warn against the manipulation of social media platforms for partisan agendas.
The episode underscores the need for balanced legislative approaches that address genuine security concerns while respecting individual freedoms and the economic realities of social media platforms.
This comprehensive discussion on "The Stephen A. Smith Show" provides listeners with an in-depth understanding of the complexities surrounding the TikTok ban, featuring informed perspectives from both Stephen A. Smith and Representative Ro Khanna. The episode encourages critical thinking about government overreach, data privacy, and the role of social media in contemporary society.