November 8, 2023

“You’re Just Scum”: GOP Debate Melts Down in TikTok Melee

Republican candidates hate the popular social media app. But they might hate each other even more.

Republican presidential candidates (L-R), former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) are introduced during the NBC News Republican Presidential Primary Debate in Miami.Alexander Tamargo/AP

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Five GOP presidential candidates sparred at the third Republican debate Wednesday night, and one of the most contentious issues was…TikTok. 

The Chinese-owned video app has long been a boogeyman for lawmakers who fear the Chinese government could use it to obtain Americans’ data. The NBC News debate moderators asked the candidates if they would “ban or force the sale of TikTok” if they became president, referencing an essay by Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) about, in Gallagher’s words, “pro-Hamas propaganda” allegedly proliferating on the app.

“TikTok is not only spyware—it is polluting the minds of American young people all throughout this country, and they’re doing it intentionally,” former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said, adding he’d ban the app in his first week in the Oval Office.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also pledged to ban TikTok, calling it part of a “full-spectrum approach to be able to fend China off.” (He has signed legislation to restrict the app as governor.)

After moderator Hugh Hewitt asked Vivek Ramaswamy how he’d ban TikTok given that Ramaswamy actually uses it, the candidate got personal. He said that while former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley had previously criticized him for using the app, Haley’s own daughter—25-year-old Rena Haley—uses it, too.

“You might want to take care of your family first,” Ramaswamy said to Haley.

“Leave my daughter out of your voice,” Haley replied. (NBC News reported that Haley’s daughter was actually in the debate audience Wednesday, and she appeared on stage at the end of the night.) 

Ramaswamy’s barb garnered boos from the crowd—and another sharp rebuke from Haley. “You’re just scum,” she muttered.

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

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