A Wisconsin teen set fire to a local Republican congressman’s office Sunday in a fit of rage over the TikTok ban, authorities say.
The Fond du Lac office used by Rep. Glenn Grothman was set ablaze just after 1 a.m., with authorities locating a 19-year-old man nearby who admitted to starting the fire, police said.
The teen told cops he ignited the blaze “in response to recent talks of a TikTok ban,” police said.
He is being held at the Fond du Lac County jail on an arson charge, cops said.
Additional charges against the teen, who has not been named but police said was from Menasha, are expected to be filed by the local district attorney’s office.
The building was unoccupied at the time, and no injuries have been reported, police said.
The ban on the wildly popular, Chinese-owned app was instituted by Congress and took effect Sunday. Many of the 170 million American TikTok users were shaken — till President-elect Donald Trump got involved.
Trump vowed Sunday to sign an executive order to give the app more time to strike a deal with the US government to keep it operating. The company soon went online again, unafraid of repercussions for the time being.
“We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive,” TikTok Policy wrote on X.
“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 statement added.
