The popular social media app TikTok banned Dr. Scott Jensen Thursday night with little to no explanation, he said in a video shared on Twitter.
The Republican candidate for governor of Minnesota said his account had amassed 286,000 followers and 1.2 million video likes in just a month.
“I’ve said it more than once and I’ll say it tonight: if it can happen to me, why couldn’t it happen to you?” said Jensen, a former state senator who has gained national attention for his contrarian views on the COVID-19 pandemic.
After 286,000 followers
1.2 Million likes
100,000+ views per day
I've been Banned by @tiktok_us. Cancelled.My account had not violated community guidelines.
They took down 2 videos of me criticizing @60Minutes and then permanently banned my account without explanation. pic.twitter.com/lFqpCpL2B6— Scott Jensen (@drscottjensen) April 9, 2021
Jensen said he was told his account was shut down because of “community violations,” but TikTok didn’t provide any further details. A TikTok spokesperson later told Fox 9 that the removal was due to “misinformation on COVID-19 guidelines.” Again, the company didn’t specify what videos caused the ban.
Two of his recent videos were critical of the “60 Minutes” “hit job” on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Jensen said, noting that the segment was widely rebuked. The Democratic director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management said he told “60 Minutes” the story was “bullshit,” while a Democratic mayor called the segment “intentionally false.”
“It’s really pretty confounding but it sure feels like being canceled,” said Jensen. “I wanted to reach out to millennials during my campaign for the governorship of Minnesota.”
One of Jensen’s former Democratic colleagues, Sen. Matt Klein, called TikTok’s ban a “necessary public safety measure to restrain my former friend.” Klein, also a doctor, said Jensen has become a “megaphone for harmful COVID misinformation.”
Anonymous complaints were filed against Jensen last year with the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice, which took no further action.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
