Matt Goetz urges Biden to ‘blow up TikTok’ after US military shoots down suspected Chinese spy balloon

The Republican MP is asking President Biden to take action to take down TikTok, an app critics say gives the Chinese government private access to tens of millions of Americans.

Hours after Biden ordered the US Air Force to shoot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon, Rep. Matt Goetz, of Florida, tweeted a simple instruction: “Now blow up TikTok.”

Biden’s decision to shoot down the balloon came a week after it was first spotted over Alaska on Jan. 25 and days after it was later reported over Montana, Missouri and the Carolinas.

The social media app has been the subject of controversy as critics say the Chinese government’s control of ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, allows it to control what teens and other users of the app see. This control could lead to propaganda, influencing decisions and elections, or simply distracting the public, critics say.

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Rep. Matt Goetz is calling on President Biden to take action against TikTok following his order to shoot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon.
(Megan Varner/Getty Images)

After all, on Saturday afternoon, the Air Force shot down the balloon as it hovered over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of South Carolina.

The Chinese government issued a scathing statement after the United States shot down a suspected spy balloon flying from Montana to the Carolinas, calling the action an “attack” that was “completely unexpected.”

“China strongly disapproves and protests the US attack on a civilian unmanned airship with the use of force,” China’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

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The Foreign Office also said it repeatedly informed the US that the alleged spy balloon was “civilian” and not a threat, saying it mainly collected weather data.

Relations between Washington and Beijing have been rocky in recent days as a suspected Chinese spy balloon has been sighted over the US.
(AP Photo/Andy Wong)

President Joe Biden virtually meets Chinese President Xi Jinping from the Roosevelt Room at the White House as Secretary of State Anthony Blinken (right) listens.
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Beijing also asked the US government to respond “calmly, professionally and with restraint” just days before the US Air Force shot it down off the coast of South Carolina.

“The Chinese side, after verification, repeatedly informed the American side about the civilian nature of the airship and reported that its penetration into the United States due to force majeure was completely unexpected,” the report says. “The Chinese side has clearly asked the American side to properly resolve this issue in a calm, professional and discreet manner.”

The White House said Friday that Biden will not shoot down the balloon, despite calls from lawmakers and others, because he “poses no military or physical threat to people on earth.”

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The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the decision to shoot it down was “a clear overreaction”.

“Under such circumstances, the use of US force is a clear overreaction and a serious violation of international practice,” the statement said. “China will resolutely protect the legitimate rights and interests of the company concerned, and reserves the right to provide additional answers if necessary.”

Rep. Matt Goetz, Florida on April 30, 2022 in Newark, Ohio.
(Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Republican lawmakers also criticized Biden’s decision, with many arguing that he had many opportunities to shoot down the balloon before it flew over the US mainland.

Sen. Ted Cruz, D-Tex., said: “Everything about Administrator Biden’s response to the Chinese spy balloon reeks of indecision and weakness. They can’t decide whether to shoot him down or not.”

Ahead of the suspicious spy balloon drama, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was scheduled to visit China and was set to be the highest-ranking official to visit China since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a result, the visit was canceled indefinitely.

“They can’t decide whether to go to China or not,” Cruz added.

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President Biden claims he gave the order to shoot down the balloon on Wednesday, but military officials waited until Saturday.

“I ordered the Pentagon to shoot him down on Wednesday as soon as possible,” Biden told reporters on Saturday.

US President Joe Biden salutes as he boards Air Force One at Hancock Field Air National Guard in Syracuse, New York, February 4, 2023.
(ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

US President Joe Biden arrives aboard Air Force One at Hancock Field Air National Guard in Syracuse, New York, February 4, 2023. — President Biden is on his way to the President’s Camp David residence in Maryland.
(ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

He added: “I told them to bring it down on Wednesday. They told me let’s wait until it’s the safest place.”

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin confirmed that the order was given to the military on Wednesday.

“On Wednesday, President Biden authorized the surveillance balloon to be shot down as soon as the mission can be completed without undue risk to American lives in the balloon’s path,” Lloyd said.

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The balloon was shot down on Saturday afternoon after it flew over several key locations in the US, including military bases containing nuclear missiles.

Andrew Mark Miller of Fox News contributed to this report.