Donald Trump, the re-elected president of the United States, has already expressed his intention to try to keep TikTok running in the country under his mandate. Now, he has reaffirmed his position, revealing more details about what made him change his mind regarding the short video platform.
ByteDance’s every attempt to avoid TikTok ban has been in vain
During his previous presidential term, Donald Trump had a very different position regarding TikTok. He was in favor of banning the app from the United States, citing national security concerns as the main reason. Trump failed to do so at the time, but US legislators have tried to continue the work. The key moment was April, when Joe Biden signed a bill that forced ByteDance to sell TikTok or stop operating in the country.
Since then, ByteDance has been using every possible resource to try to prevent or delay the bill from coming into force. The attempts at challenging the law and filing an emergency pause were rejected by an appeals court. The company has now escalated the case to the Supreme Court as a final option. Although the US highest federal court is the last legal recourse the company can resort to, it also has Donald Trump as a potential wild card in favor.
Donald Trump, in favor of keeping TikTok in the US
During the latest AmericaFest meeting of the conservative group Turning Point, Donald Trump expressed his point of view on TikTok’s situation in the US. “I think we’re going to have to start thinking because, you know, we did go on TikTok, and we had a great response with billions of views, billions and billions of views,” he said. “They brought me a chart, and it was a record, and it was so beautiful to see, and as I looked at it, I said…Maybe we gotta keep this sucker around for a little while,” he added.
Therefore, the support Trump received on TikTok played a crucial role in his new idea to keep the platform operational in the US. In its day, other social platforms, such as Twitter—before the arrival of Elon Musk—even banned him. Now, Trump says he has a “warm spot” for the short video platform in his heart.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has also increasingly tried to get closer to Trump. The company is among the prominent tech names that donated at least $1 million to the inauguration fund of the 47th president of the United States. He also recently met with Trump to discuss the matter, according to reports.
The anti-TikTok bill will come into force on January 19, 2025. On the other hand, Donald Trump’s inauguration will take place on January 20. For now, it is unknown what kind of measures the new administration could take to try to cancel a law already in force after its arrival at the White House. Passage of the bill had overwhelming bipartisan support.
