Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez warned her followers that 'this is the fascism of the 21st century' in a series of posts on the eve of Donald Trump's inauguration.
The left-wing congresswoman took to her Instagram Story on Sunday afternoon to discuss the nationwide TikTok ban — and its reinstatement — with her followers, less than a day before the former president is sworn back into the White House.
But she also explained what she thinks the ban — and the Republican Party — really means for the nation.
“Well, we are on the verge of authoritarian rule,” she said. “This is what 21st century fascism is starting to look like.”
TikTok, the viral social media platform where billions created and shared short videos, officially went dark for U.S. users on Saturday evening.
The popular social media app issued its first statement to users about the abrupt shutdown that was originally set to take effect on Sunday.
'A law has now been passed in the US banning the popular video-sharing app. Unfortunately, this means you won't be able to use TikTok for a while, according to the message that appeared when users tried to log into the app.
“We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Stay tuned!'
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez warned her followers that 'this is the fascism of the 21st century' in a series of posts on the eve of Donald Trump's inauguration
The left-wing congresswoman took to her Instagram Story on Sunday afternoon to discuss the nationwide TikTok ban — and its reinstatement — with her followers, less than a day before the former president is sworn back into the White House
Just hours after TikTok went down for users in the United States, the app confirmed it was working to restore the platform, while also thanking President-elect Trump for his intervention, just as the app began showing the first signs of recovery to display.
Following its dramatic shutdown, AOC took to Instagram to push back against the TikTok ban that she voted against in Congress and publicly opposed in March 2024.
She highlighted the lack of evidence presented to Congress last year regarding the app posing a national security risk, generally questioning the rationale behind the ban.
“I can tell you that what was presented to all the members who voted on this was not very convincing,” she stated.
“There was no real information given about a smoking gun, that was something specific… it was very vague, unconvincing and frankly it wasn't convincing to many other members either.”
Additionally, AOC advocated addressing broader data privacy issues that impact all social media platforms, rather than singling out just one specific app.
“The answer isn't just endlessly fooling around with apps, the answer is that we need to have real privacy laws in the United States.”
But just hours after AOC's initial messages, TikTok confirmed it was working to restore the app, while also thanking President-elect Trump for his intervention, just as the social media platform began showing the first signs of recovery.
The company specifically credited Trump with providing “necessary clarity and assurance” to service providers that they will not be fined for keeping the platform available to its U.S. user base.
She further explained that the app's notification thanking Trump essentially meant that every massive social media platform in the United States has been successfully taken over by the right-wing parties.
President-elect Donald Trump offered hope to devastated TikTok users after the app went off the air, announcing he will sign an executive order on Monday to delay the ban on the popular app
“We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will not be penalized for delivering TikTok to more than 170 million Americans and helping more than 7 million small businesses thrive,” the statement said.
“It's a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.”
The development came after the app went offline following the Supreme Court's decision to put the nationwide ban into effect early Sunday.
Providing hope to devastated TikTok users, President-elect Donald Trump announced he will sign an executive order on Monday to delay the ban on the popular app.
But AOC took to Instagram shortly afterwards to express her concerns about the app's recovery.
She read TikTok's latest statement and thanked Trump for his efforts that have allowed the country to continue scrolling through the millions of short videos.
“First of all, Donald Trump is not president right now,” she said. 'He is a private individual. He doesn't have access to presidential powers…he doesn't have the ability to do all that.”
“So, please understand that TikTok's decision to mention Trump in the notification is a choice,” she added.
AOC also noted that the ban, which she voted against in Congress, did not contain any evidence indicating a real threat to national security
AOC urged her followers to investigate how Orbán runs Hungary – noting how this will give the country a taste of how the Republican party will try to govern and control media and corporations
“They indicate that they are working privately with Donald Trump and the Trump administration.”
She further explained that the app's notification essentially meant that every mass social media platform in the United States has been successfully taken over by the right.
'What does this mean for us?' AOC opened up in another Instagram story post.
Discussing how the ban is the beginning of what she would call “21st century fascism,” she noted how Republicans are actually “modeling themselves on Orbán's Hungary.”
AOC urged her followers to investigate how Orbán runs Hungary – noting how this will give the country a taste of how the Republican Party will try to govern and control media and companies.
“This is a time of experimentation,” she added. “A lot of people will still use platforms, can still use platforms, but I'm also looking at places where you have more ownership and develop your audience there,” the video concluded.
AOC has been a polarizing figure since she upset powerful incumbent Democrat Joe Crowley in the 2018 primaries and won a seat in the House of Representatives at just 29 years old.
In November, the congresswoman fueled speculation that she plans to run for president after Trump ends his term in 2028.
