Charlotte Democratic Congressman Jeff Jackson apologized on a video over the weekend for how he handled his vote to potentially ban the popular app TikTok, where Jackson has built a large following.
When Jackson voted to ban the app unless the Chinese company ByteDance sells its stake, many of his 2.5 million TikTok followers turned on him.
TikTokers called said he was a hypocrite. One told their followers, “Everybody, you know what to do — everyone unfollow him.”
In a video on TikTok, Jackson apologized for how he handled the vote, but not the vote itself. He acknowledged he had been "roasted" on the app.
"And I get it. If I were in your shoes I would probably feel the same way," Jackson said, "I would see someone who used the app to build a following and then appears to have voted against it and I would be upset."
Jackson said, as a member of Congress, he has heard alarming briefings on TikTok and wants it to be sold. He said he doesn’t think the app would be banned.
He is running for North Carolina attorney general against Republican Congressman Dan Bishop, who voted against the ban, citing first amendment issues.