(Photo Illustration by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON ā President-elect Donald Trump said Sunday he will sign an executive order as soon as he takes office that would delay a law that banned the popular social media app TikTok unless its parent company sells it.
āIām asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark!ā Trump said on his TruthSocial account. ā I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the lawās prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security. The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order.ā
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday had left the law in place, and on Saturday night, TikTok went dark for U.S. users. The Associated PressĀ reported that Google and Apple removed the app from their digital stores to comply with the law. But by midday Sunday, TikTok was again functioning.
Trump said in his post he wants to explore how to keep TikTok viable in the United States.
āI would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture.Ā By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to say up.Ā Without U.S. approval, there is no Tik Tok.Ā With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars ā maybe trillions,ā he wrote.
āTherefore, my initial thought is a joint venture between the current owners and/or new owners whereby the U.S. gets a 50% ownership in a joint venture set up between the U.S. and whichever purchase we so choose.ā
The bipartisan law enacted last year required ByteDance, TikTokās parent company, to sell the platform by Sunday or face exclusion from U.S.-based app stores.
TikTokĀ fought the law all the way to the Supreme Court, arguing First Amendment rights, but did not prevail.Ā
āThere is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community,ā the court wrote in its ruling. āBut Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTokās data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary. For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitionersā First Amendment rights.ā
Action left to Trump
TheĀ 27-page court rulingĀ created a bit of a dilemma for Trump, who now supports TikTok staying on Americansā cell phones despite wanting to ban it during his first administration.
Trump wrote Friday in aĀ post on his social media site, Truth Social, that he would address the issue once he takes office.
āI just spoke to Chairman Xi Jinping of China. The call was a very good one for both China and the U.S.A,ā Trump wrote. āIt is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately. We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects. President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!ā
Trump issued an executive order in 2020 to ban the video platform unless it broke from ByteDance, butĀ reversed his position last year.
Trumpās attorney general nominee, Pam Bondi, cited āpending litigationā and declined to directly answer a question about whether she would direct the Justice Department to enforce the TikTok ban during her confirmationĀ hearing Wednesday.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is expected to attend Trumpās inauguration Monday, according to a source familiar with the planning.
Chew will not be the only tech executive sitting nearby as Trump takes the oath of office. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post, are expected to be in attendance. BothĀ donated $1 million to Trumpās inaugural.
Chew posted a video on social media Friday after the Supreme Court ruling was released thanking Trump āfor his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States.ā
āThis is a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship,ā he said. āAs weāve said, TikTok is a place where people can create communities, discover new interests and express themselves, including over 7 million American businesses.ā
The director of national intelligence released aĀ report in February 2024 stating that āTikTok accounts run by a (Peopleās Republic of China) propaganda arm reportedly targeted candidates from both political parties during the U.S. midterm election cycle in 2022.ā
Bipartisan backing for law
The law requiring TikTokās parent company to sell the app or lose access to the American social media market received bipartisan support in the House last year, following aĀ 352-65 vote in March. The measure cleared Congress as part of a larger supplementalĀ package a month later.
President Joe Biden signed it into law. However, he said he will not enforce it, leaving the incoming Trump administration to decide what to do.
āPresident Bidenās position on TikTok has been clear for months, including since Congress sent a bill in overwhelming, bipartisan fashion to the Presidentās desk: TikTok should remain available to Americans, but simply under American ownership or other ownership that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress in developing this law,ā White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wrote in a statement.
āGiven the sheer fact of timing, this Administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration, which takes office on Monday.ā
Congress and the Biden administration pointed toĀ warnings from national security officials about ByteDanceās ties to Chinaās government as the top reason to force its parent company to sell the app.
TikTokĀ maintains that it is majority owned by global investors, including the Susquehanna International Group and Blackrock, though roughly 20% remains in the hands of its Chinese founders.
Democratic senators made anĀ eleventh-hour pitch on Wednesday to extend ByteDanceās deadline to divest from TikTok, but Republicans blocked the effort.Ā