WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President Donald Trump ordered a 75-day pause on enforcing a law that would effectively ban TikTok in the US, as he floated an idea of partnering with the app’s Chinese owner.
The executive order delayed implementation of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which took effect January 19 and would prohibit the distribution and updating of TikTok in the United States.
Trump had promised to move fast to save TikTok from the law that was passed overwhelmingly by Congress and signed by president Joe Biden last year.
Trump, speaking to reporters from the White House, said he was seeking a 50-50 partnership between “the United States” and its Chinese owner ByteDance, though he did not provide details on how this could be achieved.
“I guess I have a warm spot for TikTok that I didn’t have originally,” the newly inaugurated Trump said as he signed the order, crediting the app for delivering him the youth vote in his election.
In his first stint in the White House, Trump had attempted to ban TikTok in the US on national security concerns.
The TikTok ban law passed due to concerns that the Chinese government could exploit the app to spy on Americans or covertly influence US public opinion through data collection and content manipulation.
TikTok shut down in the United States late Saturday as the deadline approached, leaving millions of dismayed users barred from the app.
Trump then promised to issue an executive order as soon as he took office to delay the ban to allow time to “make a deal.”
TikTok restored service in the United States on Sunday crediting Trump for making the reversal possible — though the outgoing Biden administration had earlier said that it would not enforce any ban.
To save the app’s US operations, Trump said he planned to set up a joint venture between US companies and ByteDance and that the company could end up being valued a trillion dollars thanks to his intervention.
“Essentially, with TikTok, I have the right to either sell it or close it,” Trump told reporters in the White House.
“We may have to get an approval from China too…but I’m sure they’ll approve it or that would be a hostile act” that could be reciprocated with tariffs, he added.
Under the order, the attorney general must issue guidance implementing the pause, and send letters to service providers confirming they won’t face liability for continuing to host or update TikTok during this period.
This clarification was crucial for companies like Apple and Google, which would otherwise be required to remove TikTok from their app stores and block updates, facing penalties of up to USD5,000 per user if the app is accessed.
Oracle, which hosts TikTok’s US servers, is also legally obliged to enforce the ban.
The 75-day pause is intended to give the new administration time to “pursue a resolution that protects national security while saving a platform used by 170 million Americans,” according to the order.
