President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday called for the United States to take partial ownership of TikTok and vowed to issue an executive order to delay banning the hugely popular app to give it time to “make a deal.”
Trump’s announcement came hours after TikTok was shut down in the United States under a law banning it in the name of national security, as a deadline for its Chinese owners ByteDance to sell its US subsidiary to non-Chinese buyers. had ended.
However, the law includes a clause that allows a 90-day delay if the White House can show progress toward a viable deal, but so far ByteDance has flatly ruled out any sale.
The administration of outgoing President Joe Biden said it would leave the matter to Trump — who takes office on Monday — and that it would not impose any sanctions.
“I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period before the Act’s prohibitions go into effect so we can reach a deal to protect our national security,” Trump said on his Truth social platform.
He said he “would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in the joint venture,” arguing that the app’s value could rise to “hundreds of billions of dollars – maybe trillions.”
“By doing this we save TikTok, keeping it in good hands,” Trump wrote.
From teenage dancers to grandmothers sharing cooking tips, TikTok has been adopted for its ability to turn ordinary users into global celebrities when a video goes viral.
But it is also filled with disinformation, and its Chinese ownership has long stoked national security fears internationally as well as in the United States.
In an earlier message to frustrated users trying to use the app on Sunday, TikTok said that “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to restore TikTok after taking office Please stay!”
Trump, who previously supported a TikTok ban and moved toward one during his first term in office, did not provide further details on how such a deal would work.
Sunday’s blackout came after the US Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law banning any sale of it.
But the app now has a fan in Trump, who — after signing an executive order that increased pressure on ByteDance to sell in 2020 — has since credited the app with connecting with young voters.
However, it is unclear what the incoming president could do to lift the restrictions unless ByteDance sells.
“Congress wrote this law to be virtually president-proof,” warned Adam Kovacevich, chief executive of the industry trade group Chamber of Progress.
‘I like TikTok’
In addition to removing TikTok from the App Store, the law requires Apple and Google to block new downloads, potentially fining the companies up to $5,000 per user for accessing the app.
Oracle, which hosts TikTok’s servers, would also be legally bound to enforce the ban.
Other social media platforms like
TikTok’s suspension in Europe was praised by the foreign minister of Estonia – one of the countries most resilient to disinformation, according to the European Media Literacy Index.
“Banning TikTok should also be considered in Europe,” Margus Tsahkana said on X.
The ban also became a hot topic at the Australian Open in Melbourne, where American tennis player Coco Gauff wrote “RIP TikTok USA” on a courtside camera.
“I love TikTok, it’s like an escape… hopefully it comes back,” the world number three told reporters.
offer for tiktok
A last-minute proposal made on Saturday by highly valued start-up Perplexity AI offered to merge with TikTok’s US subsidiary, a source with knowledge of the deal told AFP.
No price was included in the proposal but the source estimated it would cost at least $50 billion.
Former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has also offered to buy TikTok’s US operations.
Meanwhile, thousands of concerned TikTok users turned to Xiaohongshu (“Little Red Book”), a Chinese social media network similar to Instagram, ahead of the suspension.
Nicknamed “Red Note” by American users, it was the most downloaded app on the US Apple Store last week.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
