By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – TikTok's fortunes took a turn for the better on Thursday as a growing number of U.S. officials said its Chinese owner should have more time to market the app and prevent it from being shut down before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House. .
Trump's incoming national security adviser said the new Republican administration would keep the social media app used by 170 million Americans alive in the US if a deal is in place and Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer urged President Joe Biden to extend the deadline by 90 days. which is set to close on Sunday.
A law passed in April authorizes TikTok's owner, ByteDance, to sell TikTok's US assets on Sunday to a non-Chinese buyer, or be banned over national security concerns.
“We're going to put measures in place to keep TikTok out of the black,” US Representative Mike Waltz told Fox News, pointing to a provision in the law that allows for a 90-day extension if there is “significant progress” on the split.
“It certainly buys President Trump time to save TikTok,” said Waltz, who was chosen by Trump to be his national security adviser.
The US Supreme Court is now deciding whether to uphold the law and allow TikTok to be shut down on Sunday in the absence of a lawsuit, reverse the law or suspend it to give judges more time to make a decision.
The court said it may hand down sentences on Friday, but as usual, did not say which case or cases would be decided.
Trump had previously supported banning the app but changed his stance last year. His change came amid growing signs of support for his presidential campaign among tech executives and the passing of Republican donor Jeff Yass, who owns a majority stake in ByteDance.
In a sign of the warm relationship between Trump and TikTok, the video's CEO, Shou Zi Chew, will attend the president's inauguration on Jan. 20. .
BIPARTISAN SHIFT
“It's clear that more time is needed to find the American consumer and not disrupt the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans,” Schumer said on the Senate floor, adding that Democrats had tried to pass a bill to extend the time to find a resolution to 270. days.
“I will work with the Trump administration and both parties to keep TikTok alive while protecting national security,” he added.
The comments by Schumer, who has been a staunch supporter of anti-marketing legislation, are a sign of growing concern among prominent Democrats about the potential impact and political fallout of blocking TikTok.
I New York Times (NYSE:) is reportedly considering an executive order that would allow TikTok to continue operating without a legal ban until new owners are found. It was not immediately clear whether Trump had the authority to do so given the legal requirements to repeal the law imposed by Congress.
TikTok did not respond to requests for comment.
Trump's transition spokeswoman, Caroline Leavitt, said, “President Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to save TikTok, and there is no one better to do it than Donald Trump.”
'TELL A BIG GAME'
Meanwhile, many Republicans and Democrats remain concerned about China's ownership of the app, worried that the Chinese government could use it as a tool to collect data on American citizens and spread lies to the public.
“Trump talks a big game in China and wanted to block TikTok – as many Republicans voted to do,” Representative Frank Pallone, the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, wrote on the social media platform X. TikTok is linked to the CCP and is a threat to our national security what does this message send?
The prospect of TikTok's ban has already prompted some users to seek alternatives, with Chinese media app RedNote gaining nearly 3 million US users in a single day earlier this week, according to analytics firm Similarweb (NYSE:).
Reuters reported that TikTok plans to shut down US operations of the social media app on Sunday without last minute notice, according to people familiar with the matter.
A White House official told Reuters on Wednesday that Biden has no plans to intervene to prevent the ban in his final days in office if the US Supreme Court fails to act. The official added that Biden cannot legally intervene in the absence of a credible plan from ByteDance to TikTok.
Privately held ByteDance is about 60% owned by institutions such as BlackRock (NYSE: ) and General Atlantic, while its founders and employees own 20% each. It has more than 7,000 employees in the United States.