TikTok became available to users in the United States again on Sunday. After President Donald Trump promised to sign an executive order that would delay the ban on the platform, TikTok's app was unavailable for American users late Saturday. To prepare for the law that goes into effect on Jan. 1, the 19th, the day before Trump is inaugurated as president at noon ET.
“In agreement with our service provider, TikTok is in the process of restoring its services,” the social media platform wrote. Sunday the X– “We thank President Trump for providing needed clarity and reassurance to our providers that they will face no penalty for providing TikTok to more than 170 million Americans and helping businesses More than 7 million small businesses have been successful.”
TikTok praised Trump in a warning posted Saturday night that users saw when they tried to open the app. And the social media app said in a statement on Sunday that restoring its services was a positive development for freedom of speech.
“This is a strong stance on the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that will keep TikTok in the United States,” the ByteDance-owned company wrote.
President Donald Trump, a billionaire autocrat, has promised to target his political enemies. announced on Sunday morning that he will issue an executive order to ensure TikTok can operate in the United States. Meanwhile, an agreement was reached to find something long-term.
“I urge companies not to leave TikTok in the dark! I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period before the ban takes effect. So that we can make agreements to protect our national security. The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company. That helped prevent TikTok from going dark before I ordered it,” Trump wrote Sunday morning on his social media platform. social reality–
Surprisingly, Trump signaled that his main concern about making TikTok available on Monday is that he wants people to see him as president again.
“Americans deserve to see our exciting inauguration on Monday. The same goes for other activities and conversations,” Trump continued.
But the strangest element of Trump's announcement concerns his apparent plans for how to structure a deal that would allow the app to continue operating in the United States. The president-elect has signaled that the federal government may take a stake in the social media company. Although no details were given about how that would work.
“I want the United States to Has 50% ownership status in the joint venture. By doing this, we will save TikTok, keep it in good hands and let it speak. Without US approval, there will be no Tik Tok (sic) with our approval. It is worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Or maybe a trillion,” Trump wrote.
The billionaire strongly hinted at how lucrative the deal was. as a sign that he should be praised and perhaps should see some benefit for himself.
“So my initial idea was for a joint venture between the current and/or new owners where the US would acquire 50% ownership in the joint venture established between the US and the US. And no matter what type we buy.”
Trump's relationship with everyone has been known for a long time. But it remains unclear whether the new president will profit personally from the TikTok deal like he has in other areas of life.
Republican Senator Tom Cotton from Arkansas is unhappy with what's happening with TikTok, releasing a statement praising companies like Apple and Google for removing the app from their stores. It also said there was no legal way to extend the timeline.
“We commend Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft for following the law and ending their actions against ByteDance and TikTok, and we encourage other companies to do so. do the same This law risks the bankruptcy of any company. that violates the said law The law is now in effect. There is no legal basis for This will be an 'extension' of any effective date,” Cotton said in a statement. published online–
But Cotton's dissatisfaction may not be as great now that Trump is in office again. This is because laws only exist when they are enforced. and the executive branch, which houses the U.S. Department of Justice. will be responsible for enforcing the law TikTok's “ban or sale”
“For TikTok to come back online in the future, ByteDance must agree to a sale that meets the law's qualifying divestment requirements. By severing all ties between TikTok and Chinese communists,” Cotton continued, “only then will Americans be protected from the grave threat to their privacy and security posed by communist-controlled TikTok.”