Donald Trump Confirms He Will Give TikTok a Reprieve Via Executive Order and Push for Joint Venture with U.S. Partner
President-elect Donald Trump confirmed Sunday that he will give TikTok a reprieve with an executive order to be issued after he takes office on Monday and that he will push for the popular China-owned social media app to seek a joint venture with a U.S. partner.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated, “I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark,” he wrote. “I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture.” Trump’s comments come hours after use of the platform was disabled late Saturday night for U.S. users.
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The TikTok ban has been percolating for more than a year amid concerns that owner Bytedance is gathering valuable intelligence on Americans through the app that has become the dominant social media platform for video sharing.
EARLIER: The fight for TikTok may not be over just yet.
While speaking with NBC’s Kristen Welker on Saturday, President-elect Donald Trump said he will “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day grace period to avoid getting banned in the U.S. once he takes office on Jan. 20.
“I think that would be certainly an option that we look at,” Trump said. “The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate. We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation.”
Trump added that if he decides to save the social media giant from its Sunday deadline, he would “probably announce it” during his first day in office.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court rejected TikTok’s appeal to remain active in the United States after its Chinese parent company ByteDance failed to sell its stake in the app to a buyer outside of China. TikTok is set to go dark on Jan. 19 if it remains unsold.
“There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community,” the Supreme Court wrote Friday morning. “But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.”
TikTok’s troubles began in April, when President Joe Biden signed a law stating that if ByteDance didn’t sell the app to a non-Chinese entity, it would be banned in the United States. TikTok and ByteDance sued the U.S. government in May 2024 over the legislation, claiming it violated First Amendment rights, but the suit was ultimately overruled.
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