President-elect Donald Trump said Sunday that he will take executive action on his first day in office to allow TikTok to continue operating in the US temporarily, while suggesting the US government could take partial ownership of the social media site.
Trump said in a Truth Social post he will “not let TikTok stay dark” after taking office Monday. The app went offline late Saturday evening in anticipation of the bipartisan law banning TikTok, which was passed last year and upheld by the Supreme Court last week, allowing it to take effect on Sunday.
“I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security. The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order,” Trump wrote in the post
Trump proposed the US could take a “50% ownership position” in TikTok as part of a “joint venture,” suggesting that could mean cooperation with parent company ByteDance — or with new owners “set up between the U.S. and whichever purchase we so choose.”
“By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to say up. Without U.S. approval, there is no Tik Tok. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars – maybe trillions,” Trump wrote.
In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service. We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive.
It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.
Tiktok Policy.
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“A lot of companies have chosen to downsize, and maybe that was the right thing for them. We chose a different path. Our belief was that if we kept putting great products in front of customers, they would continue to open their wallets.”
