The clock is ticking for TikTok.
President-elect Donald Trump hinted in a Monday press conference at throwing TikTok a lifeline amid the fast-approaching January deadline for its parent company ByteDance to divest or else face a ban on Google’s and Apple’s app stores.
Trump, 78, quipped that he is fond of the popular video-sharing platform in part because of his performance with young voters in the 2024 election, which he credited in part to TikTok.
“We’ll take a look at TikTok. You know, I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” Trump explained during his Monday press conference at Mar-a-Lago when asked how he plans “to stop the ban on TikTok next month.”
“TikTok had an impact, so we’re taking a look at it,” he added, referencing his support among the youth.
Later Monday, Trump also hosted the social media platform’s CEO Shou Chew at his Palm Beach, Fla., resort, according to CNN.
President-elect Donald Trump held a wide-ranging press conference at Mar-a-Lago where he dished on a broad slew of issues. Getty Images
Trump had notched 46% among young voters ages 18 to 29, while Vice President Kamala Harris scored 52%, according to Tuft University’s Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.
Back in April, Congress passed bipartisan legislation that effectively compelled ByteDance to sell off TikTok or else face a ban on the top app stores. President Biden signed it into law.
Underpinning the divestment bill were concerns about ByteDance’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and a national security surveillance law on the books in China.
Experts and lawmakers alike feared that Beijing had been gaining access to a vast trove of browsing history, biometric identifiers, location data and more from US users.
There had also been concerns about the CCP leveraging TikTok as a propaganda tool within the US.
Jeff Yass has reportedly pushed to rescue TikTok from a potential ban. Susquehanna International Group/YouTube
Ironically during his first administration, Trump signed an executive order to block the popular video-sharing site, but a court later scuttled that move.
In the time since, however, he has warmed up to the platform amid efforts by billionaire Jeff Yass to shoot down the divestment policy.
Trump has previously contended that knocking down TikTok could be a boon for Facebook, which he once blasted as “the enemy of the people.” He’s also broadly maintained that a ban on TikTok would reduce competition among social media companies.
TikTok claims to sport some 170 million users. chathuporn – stock.adobe.com
Recently, a federal appeals court backed up the divestment law, so TikTok and its parent company are eyeing a possible appeal to the US Supreme Court.
ByteDance had a deadline of Jan. 19, 2025, to comply with the divestment. Trump is set to get sworn in as the 47th president the next day.
A firm majority of Republicans and even some of Trump’s close allies such as secretary of state designee Marco Rubio have backed the legislation.
“As we have previously stated, we plan on taking this case to the Supreme Court, which has an established historical record of protecting Americans’ right to free speech,” a TikTok spokesperson explained.
The platform claims to have more than 170 million users.
Both Trump’s and Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaigns had a presence on TikTok during the 2024 cycle.
The two campaigns used the platform even after the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which featured the divestment policy, was passed.
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