28 September 2023
(The Hill) – Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley bashed fellow contender Vivek Ramaswamy on Wednesday night for his stance on TikTok, sparring onstage at the second GOP debate.
“This is infuriating, because TikTok is one of the most dangerous social media apps that we could have. And … honestly, every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber for what you say,” Haley said, taking a swipe at the 38-year-old entrepreneur.
Asked about his move to join the video-sharing app TikTok, despite it being banned on government-issued devices due to concerns about its parent company’s ties to the Chinese government, Ramaswamy said, “Part of how we win elections is reaching the next generation of young Americans where we are.”
Kids under 16 shouldn’t be on “addictive social media,” Ramaswamy said, but “we’re only going to ever get to declaring independence from China, which I favor, if we actually win.”
A former United Nations ambassador, Haley’s first TV campaign advertisement during the 2024 cycle underscored her tough stance on “Communist China,” which she said “will end up on the ash heap of history.”
“150 million people are on TikTok. That means they can get your contacts, they can get your financial information, they can get your emails, they can get your text messages, they can get all of these things. China knows exactly what they’re doing,” Haley said during the debate.
“We can’t trust you. We can’t trust you. We can’t have TikTok in our kids’ lives,” Haley hit back at Ramaswamy.