Kristen RidleyPresident-elect Donald Trump has pledged to protect TikTok from an impending ban, marking a significant shift from his previous stance during his first term when he sought to eliminate the platform.
The popular video-sharing app faces a critical deadline of January 19, just one day before Trump’s inauguration, requiring ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to divest or face prohibition in the United States.
Analysts tracking the situation suggest that both Chinese authorities and ByteDance may be receptive to American ownership, either partially or fully. The possibility of trade concessions alongside a TikTok agreement could increase Beijing’s willingness to consider a sale.
Trump’s campaign engaged with TikTok in June, apparently to connect with younger voters. Reports have linked his newfound support for the platform to billionaire Republican donor Jeff Yass, whose investment firm, Susquehanna International Group, maintains a substantial stake in ByteDance.
The platform’s current legal battle centers on a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the divest-or-ban law. TikTok’s attorneys argue that the ban would violate the free speech rights of its 170 million American users.
David Greene, civil liberties director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, noted that Trump could direct the Justice Department to withdraw its defense in the lawsuit or instruct the Commerce Department not to enforce the law.
ByteDance previously proposed “Project Texas,” a $1.5 billion initiative to establish a U.S. subsidiary managing American data domestically through Oracle, though many U.S. officials remain skeptical about the app’s Chinese ownership.
Citations:
[1] https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-promised-to-save-tiktok-but-what-happens-next-is-not-clear
[2] https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-ban-details-when-how-legal-cases-trump-options
[3] https://www.npr.org/2024/11/27/g-s1-36071/tiktok-sale-trump-justice-department
[4] https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2024/11/15/for-embattled-tiktok-trump-offers-hope-of-a-reprieve
[5] https://abcnews.go.com/Business/trump-reverse-tiktok-ban/story?id=115809826
[6] https://www.npr.org/2024/09/16/nx-s1-5113983/the-showdown-between-the-justice-department-and-tiktok
[7] https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/news-services/ap/20241124-224247/
[8] https://www.npr.org/2024/11/27/nx-s1-5207906/westminster-national-dog-show-thanksgiving-akc
[9] https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-q-and-a
[10] https://www.today.com/health/news/teen-hospitalized-mcdonalds-quarter-pounder-e-coli-rcna177820
[11] https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls-alerts/wolverine-packing-co–recalls-ground-beef-products-due-possible-e–coli-o157h7
Kristen Ridley