US President Donald Trump has issued a 75-day suspension of a law that would ban TikTok in the United States, while also suggesting the possibility of a partnership with the app’s Chinese owner, ByteDance.
The executive order delays the enforcement of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which came into effect on January 19 and would prohibit TikTok from being distributed or updated in the US.
Trump had previously pledged to act quickly to protect TikTok from the law, which was passed with strong bipartisan support in Congress and signed by President Joe Biden last year.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump proposed a 50-50 partnership between the US and ByteDance, though he did not provide specifics on how the deal would be structured.
“I guess I have a warm spot for TikTok that I didn’t have originally,” Trump said, referencing the app’s role in securing him the youth vote during his election. During his first term, Trump had tried to ban TikTok over national security concerns.
The law was passed amid fears that the Chinese government could use TikTok to spy on Americans or influence public opinion through data collection and content manipulation.
As the deadline to enforce the ban approached, TikTok temporarily shut down in the US, leaving millions of users unable to access the app.
However, Trump pledged to issue an executive order once he took office, delaying the ban to allow time to negotiate a deal.
The service was restored on Sunday, with TikTok crediting Trump for the reversal, though the Biden administration had previously stated it would not enforce the ban.
To protect TikTok’s US operations, Trump suggested creating a joint venture between US companies and ByteDance, forecasting that the company could be worth a trillion dollars with his involvement.
“Essentially, with TikTok, I have the right to either sell it or close it,” Trump said. He also noted that the Chinese government’s approval might be needed, but he expressed confidence they would approve the deal to avoid potential retaliation in the form of tariffs.
The executive order also mandates that the attorney general issue guidance on implementing the pause and send letters to service providers to confirm they won’t face penalties for continuing to host or update TikTok during this period.
This provision is crucial for companies like Apple and Google, which would otherwise be required to remove the app from their app stores and block updates, potentially facing fines of up to $5,000 per user.
Oracle, which hosts TikTok’s US servers, is also required to comply with the law, but the 75-day grace period will give the new administration time to “pursue a resolution that protects national security while saving a platform used by 170 million Americans,” according to the order.
