As The TikTok Ban Is Fast Approaching, Trump and Biden Explore Emergency Measures to Keep the Platform Accessible to Millions of US Users
As a TikTok ban looms in the United States, President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly working on measures to keep the app operational. The platform, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, faces restrictions due to national security concerns, with critics alleging it could share data with the Chinese Communist Party.
TikTok Faces Shutdown Deadline
The platform is set to go dark this Sunday unless they sell it to a U.S.-approved buyer. This follows a bipartisan law passed last year requiring ByteDance to divest TikTok within nine months. The legislation also mandates tech giants like Apple and Google to remove the app from their stores if a sale doesn’t occur.
The company has refused to sell and stated it may shut down TikTok for its 170 million U.S. users instead.
Trump’s Plans to Intervene
Congressman Mike Waltz, a Florida Republican and Trump’s incoming national security adviser, told reporters on Thursday that measures would be implemented to prevent the app’s shutdown.
“We will put measures in place to keep TikTok from going dark,”
Waltz said, adding that the law allows a 90-day extension if significant progress toward a sale is made.
Reports suggest Trump may issue an executive order to delay the ban, though its legal feasibility is unclear. The president-elect has also invited TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to attend his inauguration, signaling a willingness to seek a political solution.
Biden Administration Weighs In
Interestingly, outgoing President Biden, who signed the ban into law last April, has also considered options to keep TikTok running. According to NBC News, Biden’s team has explored deferring enforcement of the ban as an interim solution.
Supreme Court Decision Imminent
The Supreme Court recently heard arguments from TikTok and ByteDance opposing the ban. A decision is expected soon and could impact Trump’s and Biden’s plans to keep the platform alive.
A History of Reversals
Both Biden and Trump have shifted their stances on TikTok. Trump initially sought to ban the app during his first term, but he has since promised to protect it, calling it a “cultural phenomenon.” Biden, while previously supportive of the ban, now appears open to preserving TikTok’s presence.
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