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President-elect Donald Trump has said it is “possible” to extend the deadline for ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, to drop a video that faces the country's ban that will take effect on Sunday.
In an interview with NBC News, Trump said he was considering issuing a 90-day extension on the deadline. His comments came later in the day TikTok It has warned that its 170 million users will face blackouts after the Supreme Court on Friday upheld a shutdown or ban law passed by Congress last year to address China's national security concerns.
“A 90-day extension is something that is likely to be done, because it is appropriate,” Trump said. “We have to look at it carefully. It is a very big situation. . . If I decide to do that, I'll probably let you know on Monday.”
on friday, Trump said he spoke with President Xi Jinping and discussed TikTok with the Chinese leader. Chinese media said the two leaders spoke but did not say whether TikTok was part of the conversation.
The Biden administration on Friday said it would leave decisions about enforcement of the law, which goes into effect at midnight Saturday eastern time, to the incoming Trump administration.
That means companies that provide video platforms — including Apple, Google and Oracle — must decide whether to risk a breach between the midnight deadline and Trump's inauguration on Monday.
Apple and Oracle declined to comment, while Google did not immediately respond.
TikTok said the statements from the Biden administration “failed to provide adequate clarification and assurance to providers of integrated services in maintaining the availability of TikTok to more than 170 million Americans”.
He also warned that the video “will go dark” on January 19 unless the Biden administration “immediately provides a definitive statement to the satisfaction of the most important service providers guaranteeing non-enforcement”.
In a major bipartisan vote last March, Congress passed legislation that required ByteDance to release TikTok to avoid nationwide bans on the app.
Lawmakers and security officials in the US believe that Chinese ownership of the app poses a national security risk because it could be used for espionage and disinformation by the Chinese Communist Party. TikTok has denied that the Chinese government has any influence over the app.
In his first term, Trump issued an executive order to ban TikTok from operating in the US, but it was stopped by the courts at the last minute. In early 2024, he came out against the cut-or-ban congressional policy on the grounds that it would help Facebook, which banned him from the social media platform for two years.
Trump has appointed several China hawks who oppose Chinese ownership of TikTok to his administration, including Mike Waltz, a former green beret and congressman from Florida, who will serve as national security adviser.
Earlier this week, Waltz said the incoming administration would put in place “measures to keep TikTok out of the black”, saying the law could be extended if a “workable deal” was on the table.
Following TikTok's statement on Friday, Rush Doshi, a former senior Biden official in the Chinese administration, wrote on X that the company was to blame.
“TikTok had 268 days to sell itself so it was not used by China. That would have solved everything. But they didn't even try. “China has not allowed them,” said Doshi.
Now, in the short term, they want Biden to ignore the law the bipartisan SCOTUS (US Supreme Court) backed 9-0. If they turn off, it's on them.”
Additional reporting by Hannah Murphy and Michael Acton