TikTok is banking on the backing of Donald Trump to keep the Chinese-owned video app legal in the U.S.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, in a video message posted to the platform after the Supreme Court ruling upholding the U.S. law that threatens to ban the app, thanked President-elect Trump for his support in trying to find a workable outcome to keep the app legal.
“On behalf of everyone at TikTok and all our users across the country, I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States,” Chew said. “This is a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship.”
Chew continued, “We are grateful and pleased to have the support of a president who truly understands our platform — one who has used TikTok to express his own thoughts and perspectives, connecting with the world and generating more than 60 billion views of his content in the process.” He closed the message by saying, “More to come.”
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On Friday, the Supreme Court rejected the appeal by TikTok and parent ByteDance to halt a law that will ban the popular video app in the U.S. as of Sunday, Jan. 19, unless China-based ByteDance divests its stake in the app to a party that is not located in a country deemed a “foreign adversary.” The court, in a unanimous ruling, said in part, “Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.”
Trump, in a post Friday on Truth Social, wrote: “The Supreme Court decision was expected, and everyone must respect it. My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!”
Trump — who, during his first term as U.S. president, tried to ban TikTok on national-security grounds — currently has 14.8 million followers on TikTok. Trump joined TikTok in June 2024 amid his presidential campaign.
Chew is slated to attend the incoming president’s Jan. 20 inauguration in Washington, D.C., and to “sit in a position of honor on the dais,” per the New York Times.
The U.S. law, called the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, requires ByteDance to sell its ownership stake in TikTok by Jan. 19 — otherwise, distribution and hosting of the app will be illegal in the country. The Biden administration deferred the decision about enforcing the law to Trump, who reportedly is considering issuing an executive order pausing enforcement of the ban while he works out a solution to keep TikTok legal (but it’s not clear Trump has the legal authority to halt the law).
Trump clearly wants to be seen as TikTok’s savior. On Sept. 4, 2024, he posted on Truth Social, “FOR ALL THOSE THAT WANT TO SAVE TIK TOK IN AMERICA, VOTE TRUMP!” At a press conference at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago compound in December, when he was asked about TikTok, Trump said, “I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok” because of his belief that the app helped drive young voters toward his side of the ballot.
At this point, it’s unclear if TikTok will shut off the app for U.S. users on Sunday or if it intends to see if the Trump administration can work out a solution.
The law does not prohibit the use of TikTok per se. Instead, it imposes fines of $5,000 per user on companies that distribute or host the TikTok app. Despite Trump’s assurances that he intends to find a resolution to keep TikTok legal in the U.S., tech companies like Apple and Google (which offer TikTok in their apps stores) and Oracle (which has an agreement to host TikTok user data in the U.S.) may be reluctant to flout the ban. Apple, Google and Oracle did not respond to requests for comment on the impending TikTok ban.
In an amicus brief filed last month, Trump requested that the Supreme Court suspend the ban from going into effect on Jan. 19 to allow his administration to pursue a “negotiated resolution that could prevent a nationwide shutdown of TikTok, thus preserving the First Amendment rights of tens of millions of Americans, while also addressing the government’s national security concerns.” The filing did not provide details on how Trump might achieve that outcome.
Here is Chew’s video commenting on the Supreme Court opinion and thanking Trump: