


The CEO of the embattled Chinese-owned TikTok app is expected to attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday and sit in a place of honor.
CEO Shou Chew’s presence at the Washington celebration will be a stunning reminder of Mr. Trump’s change in heart over the app, which Chinese company ByteDance owns.
Mr. Trump moved to ban the app during his first term over privacy and national security concerns. But he had a change of heart after he noticed how effective it was in engaging voters during his campaign.
A source familiar with the inaugural committee’s plans confirmed that Mr. Chew is attending.
Mr. Chew will join other tech titans, including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos, at the inauguration as the TikTok app fights for its survival in the U.S.
Congress passed a law requiring its Chinese owners to sell the app to a non-Chinese owner by Sunday or else face a ban in the U.S.
President Biden signed the law even as his campaign used the app to connect with young voters.
TikTok contested the law before the Supreme Court, which should rule soon.
Mr. Trump’s warm embrace of the app could lead to some kind of solution or compromise.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.