Posted in: Opinion, streaming, TV, TV | Tagged: opinion, TikTok, trump

TikTok: Trump Wanted to Kill The App, Now He Wants to Be Its Savior

Donald Trump went from wanting to shut down TikTok in 2020 to wanting to be its "PR savior" today - and TikTok appears ready to play along.

UPDATE: After ByteDance made the decision to pull TikTok and a number of other apps from U.S. users ahead of the law going into effect today banning TikTok in the U.S. over security concerns, incoming POTUS Donald Trump – who was the first to try shutting down the app, back in 2020 – is depending on a lot of folks having short-term memories as he tries to play the "hero" in bringing the app back (with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew more than happy to play along). On his version of social media, Trump posted that he plans to issue an executive order to "extend the period of time before the law's prohibitions take effect" and "confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order." While ByteDance has resisted selling, it looks like Trump "would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture."

ORIGINAL REPORT (Saturday, January 18, 2024, at 19:22): As TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew continues trying to blame President Joseph Biden for its current woes (even though the bill banning the app in the U.S. if owner ByteDance didn't divest from it received bipartisan support in Congress and was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court), it appears Chew's one-on-ones with incoming POTUS Donald Trump (the one who actually started all of this back in 2020) and TikTok sponsoring one of Trump inauguration events are having their desired results. Speaking with NBC News's Kristen Welker earlier today, Trump offered Chew and ByteDance a glimmer of hope regarding a stay in implementation of the law. "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 said, adding that if the move does happen, it would most likely be announced on Monday after he's sworn in.

Though the move to block the app is set to begin this Sunday, it's been reported that President Biden isn't planning on enforcing the law when it does – meaning that what would happen next would be up to Trump. Though he failed to force a sale of the app in 2020, Trump has warmed up to the idea of keeping TikTok around. In late December 2024, Trump asked the Supreme Court to put a stay on the law taking effect. After he's sworn in, Trump could ask the Justice Department not to enforce the law or possibly issue an Executive Order suspending the enforcement for 60 to 90 days. Here's a look at the statement that TikTok released on Friday night, followed by a video reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision from earlier today:

"There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community," the justices wrote in an unsigned opinion on their unanimous decision. "But 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. For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners' First Amendment rights." Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote an opinion concurring in part and concurring in the judgment, while Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote an opinion concurring in the judgment.

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