President Trump took action on Monday evening to delay a U.S. ban on the popular video-sharing app TikTok while he works on a deal to keep the platform online.
A bipartisan law, upheld by the Supreme Court amid national security concerns, required the China-based app to shut down in the U.S. or sell its American subsidiary.
Mr. Trump used the app en route to winning his second term in office and pledged to work to keep it available to its more than 170 million estimated U.S. users.
“I could see making a deal with the U.S. gets 50% of TikTok, polices it a little bit or a lot, depends on them,” Mr. Trump said on Monday. “But remember, they make telephones in China, they make all sorts of things in China, nobody ever complains about that.”
Mr. Trump’s move could face legal challenges, as the law allows a delay only when there is “significant progress” toward a sale of TikTok. TikTok’s owners have previously said they would not consider a forced sale.
Before Mr. Trump’s action, TikTok users in the U.S. were unable to access the app. Apple and Google, complying with the law signed by former President Biden last year removed the platform from their app stores and restricted access to apps developed by TikTok’s China-based owner ByteDance.
“Apple is obligated to follow the laws in the jurisdictions where it operates,” Apple said on its website on Sunday. “Pursuant to [the law], apps developed by ByteDance Ltd. and its subsidiaries — including TikTok, CapCut, Lemon8, and others — will no longer be available for download or updates on the App Store for users in the United States starting January 19, 2025.”
Apple’s notice said U.S. users who previously installed the app on their devices would still see the app, but the users would not be permitted to re-download them if deleted or restore them if users move to new devices.
Mr. Trump urged tech companies to not let TikTok stay dark on Sunday and he said he wants the U.S. government to take at least partial ownership of TikTok.
“I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture. By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to [stay] up,” Mr. Trump said on Truth Social.
Mr. Trump said there is no TikTok without U.S. approval, but with the federal government’s support the app could be worth “hundreds of billions of dollars — maybe trillions.”
“I guess I have a warm spot for TikTok that I didn’t have originally,” Mr. Trump remarked as he signed the executive order Monday evening.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew attended Mr. Trump’s inauguration on Monday. He was seated alongside Director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard and a few rows behind congressional leadership at the Capitol ceremony.
Some lawmakers have signaled an interest in creating new life for TikTok as well. Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, said Monday he was introducing a bill to repeal the TikTok ban entirely.
“They tell you this is about China, about security and safety, that’s a lie,” Mr. Paul said in a video on X. “This is about control, about fear, about silencing you. A government that can ban an app, can ban a book. A government that can silence a platform, can silence a person. Today it’s TikTok, tomorrow it’s your news.”
• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.