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President-elect Donald Trump is mounting a defense of TikTok, setting himself at odds with prominent members of his own party who insist the Chinese-owned social media platform must cease operations in the United States.
Taking to Truth Social, Trump declared in capital letters: “Save TikTok.”
The platform, currently experiencing a shutdown, updated its user notification to acknowledge Trump’s potential intervention, stating “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution.”
Donald Trump says he’s signing an executive order on Monday to delay TikTok’s ban and allow time to negotiate a deal for the U.S. to own a 50% stake 👀 pic.twitter.com/FdoCvHe6OA
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) January 19, 2025
ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, faced a January 19 ultimatum to either divest its U.S. operations or cease activities. This mandate stemmed from bipartisan legislation passed in April and signed by President Biden.
In discussions with NBC News, Trump revealed he’s considering a 90-day extension for the platform.
“I think that would be, certainly, an option that we look at. The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate. We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation,” Trump told the outlet.
This stance has drawn criticism from Republican China hawks in Congress, with Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) asserting that such an extension lacks legal foundation.
“Now that the law has taken effect, there’s no legal basis for any kind of ‘extension’ of its effective date,” the senators stated. “For TikTok to come back online in the future, ByteDance must agree to a sale that satisfies the law’s qualified- divestiture requirements by severing all ties between TikTok and Communist China. Only then will Americans be protected from the grave threat posed to their privacy and security by a communist-controlled TikTok.”
TikTok has announced it’s in process of restoring services, thanking Donald Trump for reassuring service providers there will be no penalties for providing TikTok pic.twitter.com/mYhocLWLsN
— ryan 🤿 (@scubaryan_) January 19, 2025
With its claimed 170 million U.S. users, TikTok has sparked continuous national security debates. Security experts warn about China’s potential access to Americans’ biometric data, location information, and browsing habits, alongside concerns about its use as a propaganda tool.
Trump’s current position marks a shift from his first term, when he attempted executive action against TikTok that ultimately failed in court. His evolving stance reportedly reflects influence from GOP megadonor Jeff Yass, who holds TikTok investments.
TikTok’s CEO Shou Chew plans to attend Trump’s upcoming inauguration. The president-elect, who joined TikTok during his 2024 campaign, credits the platform for improving his appeal among younger voters.
Trump argues that TikTok’s elimination would primarily benefit Meta’s platforms, Facebook and Instagram, where he previously faced bans. He maintains that preserving TikTok is crucial for maintaining market competition.