Donald Trump saves TikTok?

President-elect Donald Trump announced that on Monday, January 20, 2025, his first order of business will be an executive order delaying the TikTok ban, which officially went into effect late Sunday, January 19. This decision follows TikTok's abrupt shutdown for its 170 million U.S. users, with the app vanishing from both Apple and Google app stores over the weekend.

Here’s the gist of Trump’s plan:

- Extending the deadline: Trump wants to push back the ban’s enforcement to buy time for negotiations aimed at addressing national security concerns.

- No blame, no lawsuits: The executive order will clarify that companies involved in keeping TikTok running before the shutdown won’t face legal repercussions.

- Joint ownership proposal: Trump floated the idea of the U.S. government holding a 50% stake in a new joint venture for TikTok, stating, “By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands, and allow it to stay up.”

- Big numbers: Trump claimed TikTok could be worth “hundreds of billions of dollars—maybe trillions” if it gets U.S. approval.

- Keeping Americans tuned in: He also stressed the importance of TikTok for letting Americans catch all the action from his inauguration on Monday.

- This latest move caps months of legal wrangling over TikTok’s Chinese ownership. Just last Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law mandating the ban unless ByteDance divests its American operations.

- Interestingly, TikTok’s CEO, Shou Chew, is expected to attend Trump’s inauguration—potentially with a front-row seat.

Meanwhile, TikTok reassured users that “President Trump has indicated he will work with us on a solution to bring TikTok back once he’s in office.”

Of course, this is all far from settled, but lots of progress!

President Trump’s full statement from Truth Social:

I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark! 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.
 
Americans deserve to see our exciting Inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations.
 
I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture.  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. 
 
Therefore, my initial thought is a joint venture between the current owners and/or new owners whereby the U.S. gets a 50% ownership in a joint venture set up between the U.S. and whichever purchase we so choose.

#tiktok #trump