Last week, a collective sigh of relief could be heard at ByteDance headquarters in Beijing when several American media outlets reported that President-elect Trump had voluntarily withdrawn his plan to shut down the popular social network TikTok in the United States. Although a bill requiring TikTok to transfer its operations in the United States to a non-Chinese company or cease operations was passed during Biden’s term—he was also the one who signed it—the idea had originated during Trump’s first administration and, in fact, he had initiated it. At the end of his term, in August 2020, Trump had signed a presidential order banning the use of TikTok, with implementation to occur in five stages. TikTok filed a lawsuit in response, which became unnecessary after the Biden administration took office and rescinded the presidential order.
Based on Trump’s image, one might assume that as the matter became personal for him, he would stick with it during his second term. However, his perception of TikTok began to change during his election campaign. In June 2024, Trump launched his own TikTok account, which by mid-November had gained about 14.5 million followers. In September, he wrote on Truth Social that “those who want to save TikTok” should vote for him. Even if Trump decides to reverse the Biden administration’s decision on TikTok, it will not be easy, as in two months, just one day before Trump’s inauguration, the time limit allowed for TikTok to be sold is set to expire. To reverse the decree, Trump will need to take extraordinary steps and secure broad political support that may be difficult to obtain.
Possible avenues include the withdrawal of the law by Congress—which is feasible for Trump, who won a majority in both houses of Congress, but would make it challenging for those who voted for the law to justify the move; helping TikTok find an American buyer—although this could be difficult since TikTok is not interested; or simply refusing to enforce the law. In any case, Trump’s desire to lift the ban on TikTok is now in doubt following the appointment of Brendan Carr, a staunch supporter of shutting down TikTok in the United States and a harsh critic of China, as chair of the Federal Communications Commission.
Last week, a collective sigh of relief could be heard at ByteDance headquarters in Beijing when several American media outlets reported that President-elect Trump had voluntarily withdrawn his plan to shut down the popular social network TikTok in the United States. Although a bill requiring TikTok to transfer its operations in the United States to a non-Chinese company or cease operations was passed during Biden’s term—he was also the one who signed it—the idea had originated during Trump’s first administration and, in fact, he had initiated it. At the end of his term, in August 2020, Trump had signed a presidential order banning the use of TikTok, with implementation to occur in five stages. TikTok filed a lawsuit in response, which became unnecessary after the Biden administration took office and rescinded the presidential order.
Based on Trump’s image, one might assume that as the matter became personal for him, he would stick with it during his second term. However, his perception of TikTok began to change during his election campaign. In June 2024, Trump launched his own TikTok account, which by mid-November had gained about 14.5 million followers. In September, he wrote on Truth Social that “those who want to save TikTok” should vote for him. Even if Trump decides to reverse the Biden administration’s decision on TikTok, it will not be easy, as in two months, just one day before Trump’s inauguration, the time limit allowed for TikTok to be sold is set to expire. To reverse the decree, Trump will need to take extraordinary steps and secure broad political support that may be difficult to obtain.
Possible avenues include the withdrawal of the law by Congress—which is feasible for Trump, who won a majority in both houses of Congress, but would make it challenging for those who voted for the law to justify the move; helping TikTok find an American buyer—although this could be difficult since TikTok is not interested; or simply refusing to enforce the law. In any case, Trump’s desire to lift the ban on TikTok is now in doubt following the appointment of Brendan Carr, a staunch supporter of shutting down TikTok in the United States and a harsh critic of China, as chair of the Federal Communications Commission.