President-elect Donald Trump may try to stop a law requiring TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance to sell the app or face a ban in the U.S., The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
People gather for a press conference about their opposition to a TikTok ban on Capitol Hill in ... [+]
Former Trump adviser and campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told the Post Trump “appreciates the breadth and reach of TikTok” and that there are “many ways to hold China to account outside alienating 180 million U.S. users each month.”
The Post also cited three anonymous Trump aides who said they expect him to intervene if it’s necessary.
Under a law supported by members of both parties and signed by President Joe Biden, ByteDance is required to sell TikTok by Jan. 19, 2025—one day before Trump’s inauguration—or face a ban in the U.S.
The law is currently facing legal challenges from TikTok, though, arguing it is targeted, unconstitutional and violates the First Amendment, and that it is “not possible technologically, commercially, or legally” to divest in the time given.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
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No. When Trump was president in 2020, he signed an executive order that would have effectively banned TikTok in the U.S. over national security concerns unless ByteDance sold it. Trump softened on TikTok this campaign season, though, after reportedly meeting with billionaire GOP megadonor Jeff Yass, who has a major financial stake in TikTok. After that meeting, Trump joined TikTok, made it a large part of his efforts to reach younger voters and said he would “never ban TikTok.” Trump also said he opposed a ban because it would help Mark Zuckerberg and Meta, which he has called “an enemy of the people.” In September, Trump posted on Truth Social advising “all of those that want to save Tik Tok in America” to vote for him.