As TikTok shutdown takes effect across the United States, millions of users are hoping for a reversal. Many have pinned their hopes on soon-to-be president Donald Trump.
Trump has supported TikTok and recently said that he’ll likely consider giving a 90-day extension to negotiate a deal that could prevent the popular video-sharing app from being banned in the country.
In his last statement before the services were suspended, Trump said he had not made a final decision but was considering granting TikTok a reprieve after his inauguration on Monday, in an interview with NBC. He said, “I think that would be, certainly, an option that we look at. 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.”
Even the TikTok CEO expressed hope that Trump might come up a solution to avoid the ban. he had sent a message thanking him for considering alternate option. Even in the shutdown message to user he mentioned Trump saying, “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”
However, Trump wasn’t always the ‘saviour’ of the platform as he’s being perceived by some now. When Trump was President for the first time, he also promoted TikTok ban, in 2020, over similar concerns as Joe Biden- protecting Americans’ data from China.
The change in Trump’s stance on TikTok
In 2020, his opposition to TikTok was primarily driven by his displeasure with China’s coronavirus pandemic response. He stated to Bloomberg News in July 2020 that “what happened with China with this virus, what they’ve done to this country and to the entire world is disgraceful.”
Shortly afterwards, aboard Air Force One, he announced, “As far as TikTok is concerned, we’re banning them from the United States.”
On August 6, 2020, he issued an executive order requiring ByteDance to sell its US operations. The order pointed to concerns about data collection potentially enabling Chinese authorities to access Americans’ information for surveillance and espionage purposes.
Subsequently, he supported a partnership involving Oracle and Walmart acquiring substantial TikTok ownership. However, this arrangement, which left ByteDance’s involvement unclear, was abandoned during the presidential transition. A federal court blocked his attempted ban, ruling it exceeded presidential authority.
Then, by March 2024, Trump’s position shifted dramatically. He opposed congressional efforts to force TikTok’s Chinese owner to sell, despite previously attempting similar action. Some claimed that it was partly due to his own popularity on the platform.
He told CNBC that whilst still considering TikTok a security risk, young users “will go crazy without it.” He successfully utilised the platform during his campaign, influenced partly by his son Barron’s encouragement, according to NYT sources.
In September, he declared on Truth Social: “I’m now a big star on TikTok,” he said. “We’re not doing anything with TikTok but the other side’s going to close it up. So if you like TikTok, go out and vote for Trump. If you don’t care about TikTok — and other things like safety, security and prosperity — then you can vote for a Marxist who’s going to destroy our country.”
The, earlier this month, Trump shared statistics on Truth Social highlighting his TikTok popularity and questioned, “Why would I want to get rid of TikTok?”
TikTok came into effect following the enactment of legislation by Congress and President Joe Biden’s signature last year. TikTok’s Chinese parent company Bytedance faced a mandate to sell its US operations to an approved buyer within a nine-month timeframe, which it refused.
Thus, the law now prohibits internet hosting services and app marketplaces from offering TikTok to users in America. However, a sitting president maintains the authority to lengthen the deadline if a sale transaction is underway.
