TikTok became available to users in the US again on Sunday after President-elect Donald Trump promised to sign an executive order that would delay the blocking of the platform. The TikTok app was unavailable to U.S. users late Saturday in preparation for a law that took effect Jan. 19, the day before Trump’s inauguration at noon ET
“In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service,” the social network wrote on Sunday in X. TikTok for more than 170 million Americans and has enabled more than 7 million small businesses to thrive. “
TikTok praised Trump in a warning posted Saturday night that users saw while trying to open the app. And the social media app said in a statement on Sunday that the reinstatement of its service was a positive development for free speech.
“It’s a strong defense of the First Amendment and opposition to baseless testing. “We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States,” the ByteDance subsidiary wrote.
President-elect Trump, a billionaire dictator who has vowed to target his political enemies, announced Sunday morning that he would issue an executive order to ensure TikTok can operate in the US while a long-term acquisition deal is struck.
“I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark! I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the time before the ban goes into effect, so that we can make an agreement to protect our national security. This order will also ensure that there will be no liability for any company that helps keep TikTok from blacking out before my order,” Trump wrote Sunday morning on his social media platform Truth Social.
Strangely, Trump signaled that his concern about the discovery of TikTok on Monday was that he wanted people to be able to see him as president again.
“The American people deserve to see our joyous inauguration on Monday, and other events and conversations,” Trump continued.
But the strangest aspect of Trump’s announcement involved his apparent plans for how to arrange an agreement that would allow the app to continue operating in the US.
“I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in the joint venture. By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and let it speak. Without US permission, there is no Tik Tok [sic]. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars — maybe billions,” Trump wrote.
The millionaire was clearly pointing out how lucrative this deal would be as a sign that he should be praised and perhaps see some kind of benefit for himself.
“So, my first thought is a joint venture between the current owners and/or new owners where the US gets 50% ownership in the joint venture between the US and any purchase we choose.”
Trump’s relationship with everyone has long been known to be transactional, but it is not clear whether the incoming president will benefit from the TikTok deal, as he does in many other areas of life.
Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas was clearly unhappy with the way things were going with TikTok, issuing a statement praising companies like Apple and Google for removing the app from their stores while saying there was no legal way for any timeline to be extended.
“We commend Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft for complying with the law and suspending ByteDance and TikTok, and we encourage other companies to do the same. The law, after all, risks devastating bankruptcy for any company that violates it. “Since this law has come into effect, there is no legal basis for any kind of ‘extension’ of its effective date,” said Cotton in a statement published online.
But Cotton’s displeasure may not be so great now that Trump is in office again, since laws are only real when they’re enforced. And the executive branch, housed by the US Department of Justice, will be in charge of enforcing TikTok’s “block or divest” law.
“In order for TikTok to return online in the future, ByteDance must agree to a sale that satisfies the legal requirements to separate TikTok from Communist China,” Cotton continued. Only then will the American people be protected from the grave danger posed to their privacy and security by the communist controlled TikTok.