Trump undoubtedly controls the GOP, but the TikTok vote shows Republicans won’t always follow him in lockstep [Video]

Former President Donald Trump has an iron grip on the Republican Party.

On Tuesday evening, Trump won the necessary number of delegates to become the GOP’s presumptive nominee; his third straight nomination. His latest victory came during a virtually unprecedented time for a party that technically lacked an incumbent. If the speed of his win wasn’t a clear enough sign of his dominance, Trump and his allies recently installed his daughter-in-law Lara Trump in a top Republican National Committee post.

Despite all of his power, Trump’s hold isn’t absolute. Wednesday’s House vote on a bill that could lead to a ban on TikTok illustrates that dynamic. The final vote was 352 to 65, easily surpassing the two-thirds threshold that allowed the legislation to be considered on an accelerated timeline. Even Republican House lawmakers, the group that is arguably the most pro-Trump in Congress, defied their de facto leader, who now opposes the bill.

Trump also shoulders most of the blame for the TikTok outcome. His …