WASHINGTON − President-elect Donald Trump plans to issue an executive order Monday afternoon, hours into his second term, temporarily halting a ban on the popular video app TikTok.
The Supreme Court Friday upheld a law by Congress requiring TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, to divest or shutter operations in the U.S. As of Saturday evening, American users who open the app receive a pop-up message informing them, “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now.”
But Trump in a post on Truth Social on Sunday said his order will “extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.”
The president-elect said he would ultimately back “a joint venture between the current owners and/or new owners whereby the U.S. gets a 50% ownership” with another partner, though he did not specifically say if that could be ByteDance, TikTok’s current, Beijing-based parent company.
“Americans deserve to see our exciting Inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations,” Trump said.
Trump, who called for a TikTok ban during his first administration, has more recently called for saving the app, sharing “SAVE TIKTOK!” in a post earlier on Sunday.
TikTok and social media at large helped boost Trump’s 2024 reelection campaign. At the urging of his 18-year-old son, Barron Trump, the Republican president-elect made online appearances reaching out to young and particularly male voters.
Should Trump follow through with this executive order Monday, the current TikTok limitations will have lasted less than 48 hours. Trump did not specify Sunday the length of his planned extension, though he told NBC’s Kristen Welker Saturday he would “most likely” offer a 90-day respite.
