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Trump Shows Interest in Retaining TikTok in the US

ByHilary Ong

Dec 23, 2024

Trump Shows Interest in Retaining TikTok in the US

President-elect Donald Trump hinted at the possibility of TikTok staying in the United States, despite a looming ban set to take effect next month, Reuters reports.

Speaking to conservative supporters at AmericaFest in Phoenix, Arizona, Trump acknowledged TikTok’s role in his campaign’s digital success, where he claimed to have garnered billions of views on the platform. His remarks suggested a softer stance toward the app, which has faced scrutiny over national security concerns tied to its Chinese ownership.

The U.S. Senate previously passed a law requiring ByteDance, TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company, to divest from the app or face a U.S. ban by January 19, 2025, one day before Trump assumes office. ByteDance has since challenged the law, with the Supreme Court set to hear the case on January 10. Without a favorable ruling or divestment, TikTok risks being banned across the country.

Campaign Success Shapes Trump’s TikTok Stance

Trump’s statements at the event highlighted his mixed feelings. “We had a great response with billions of views,” he said. “They brought me a chart, and it was a record. It was so beautiful to see, and I said, ‘Maybe we gotta keep this sucker around for a little while.’” His comments align with a meeting he held with TikTok’s CEO earlier this week, after which he described having a “warm spot” for the app due to its impact on his campaign.

The Justice Department has consistently argued that TikTok’s ties to ByteDance pose a national security risk, an opinion widely shared among U.S. lawmakers. However, TikTok contends that its U.S. operations are secure, pointing to measures such as hosting user data on Oracle’s cloud servers and delegating content moderation for U.S. users to teams based domestically.

Trump’s remarks add a layer of uncertainty to the situation, as it remains unclear how he might reverse the divestiture order should he choose to intervene. With the ban date approaching and the Supreme Court’s decision pending, TikTok’s future in the U.S. hangs in the balance.


Featured Image courtesy of Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images

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Source: https://digitalmarketreports.com/news/31401/trump-suggests-tiktok-us-presence-could-be-extended/

Hilary Ong

Hello, from one tech geek to another. Not your beloved TechCrunch writer, but a writer with an avid interest in the fast-paced tech scenes and all the latest tech mojo. I bring with me a unique take towards tech with a honed applied psychology perspective to make tech news digestible. In other words, I deliver tech news that is easy to read.

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