President Donald Trump signs executive order suspending 75-day ban on TikTok
Just hours after taking office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday evening ordering the attorney general’s office to delay enforcement of the law banning TikTok in the United States starting Sunday for 75 days, The New York Times reported.
In signing the order, Trump told reporters, “The United States should have the right to get half of TikTok,” according to the Times.
The law, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, requires TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app to a U.S. company.
According to the order, the Trump administration “will pursue a resolution that protects national security while saving a platform used by 170 million Americans,” the Times reported.
It’s been a busy few days for Trump as he prepares for his inauguration as the 47th President of the United States and the start of his second term in the White House, but things have been much more chaotic for TikTok.
Last Friday, the Supreme Court upheld the law banning TikTok in the United States on January 19, writing in its decision“Congress has determined that divestment is necessary to address its well-founded national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and its dealings with a foreign adversary. For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners’ First Amendment rights.
Later in the day, TikTok CEO, Shou Zi Chewing posted his response in video form, going out of his way to congratulate Trump.
“We are grateful and happy to have the support of a President who truly understands our platform, who has used TikTok to express his own thoughts and perspectives, connecting with the world and generating over 60 billion views of his content in the process. . ” Chew said in his video.
TikTok it’s dark in the United States hours earlier, around 10:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, people trying to access the app saw a message saying TikTok was unavailable at the moment and adding: “We’re lucky that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to re-enter TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!
Trump posted on his Social truth Sunday at 10 a.m. ET, “I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay in the dark! “, and adding that he would publish a decree on Monday.
“I would like the United States to have a 50% stake in a joint venture,” he wrote. “By doing this, we are saving TikTok, keeping it in good hands and allowing it to stay active. Without US approval, there is no Tik Tok. With our approval, it’s worth hundreds of billions of dollars, if not billions. »
Restoring access to TikTok in the United States began around noon ET on Sunday, and at 12:27 p.m. the company made a point of thanking President Trump for X.
Later in the day, the platform began alerting advertisers that ad campaigns targeting audiences in the United States resume broadcasting of announcements on Sunday.
TikTok warned that there would be “some limitations” on live campaigns, and also warned of the potential for “temporary instability of the service which could affect advertising in the United States.”
