Ajit Pai Backs Ban On TikTok, Splits From Trump

Photo: Reuters/Alex Wong

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, DC – Ajit Pai, former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under Donald Trump, is taking a firm stance in favor of banning TikTok in the United States. In a recent Supreme Court brief co-authored with former Treasury official Thomas Feddo, Pai urged justices to uphold legislation requiring TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to either sell the platform or cease its U.S. operations.

Pai’s position contrasts sharply with Trump’s current efforts to delay the January 19 deadline for ByteDance’s compliance. Despite this divergence, Pai’s advocacy aligns with Trump-era policies targeting perceived national security threats from Chinese companies.

During his tenure as FCC chairman, Pai led initiatives to curtail Chinese influence in U.S. telecommunications, designating Huawei and ZTE as national security threats. The FCC prohibited telecom providers from using government subsidies to purchase equipment from these manufacturers, citing concerns about potential espionage ties to the Chinese government—a threat supported by intelligence findings and investigative journalism.

Pai now draws parallels between his crackdown on Chinese telecom firms and the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which underpins the proposed TikTok ban. He described the approach as “extremely similar,” emphasizing that Congress and the executive branch have repeatedly identified Chinese-controlled companies as significant national security risks.

While Trump initially championed a TikTok ban during his presidency through an executive order in 2020—later blocked by a federal judge—his current opposition to the looming deadline highlights a shift in strategy. Pai, however, remains steadfast in his belief that the law provides solid legal grounds to restrict TikTok’s operations.