Trump opposes TikTok ban, seeks delay so he can seek 'negotiated resolution' to save platform

In latest news, U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has taken action to save TikTok from a law which would force a sale or ban of the social media platform by Jan. 19, 2025.

He filed a brief on Dec. 27 asking the Supreme Court to block the law.

Passed on Apr. 20, the bill called for parent company ByteDance to either divest of TikTok, or face a complete ban in the country.

The brief acknowledged the "difficult tension between free-speech rights on one side, and foreign policy and national-security concerns on the other".

In the light of these facts, Trump opposes banning TikTok in the U.S. "at this juncture", the brief said.

However, as the deadline imposed for TikTok to either be sold or shut down falls on Jan. 19 — just a day before his inauguration — Trump requested a delay.

This is so he can "resolve the issues through political means once he takes office".

Intends to pursue "negotiated resolution"

The brief called Trump "one of the most powerful, prolific, and influential users of social media in history" and said he is in a position to evaluate TikTok's importance as a medium for freedom of expression.

It said:

"Indeed, President Trump and his rival both used TikTok to connect with voters during the recent Presidential election campaign, with President Trump doing so much more effectively."

He therefore hopes to pursue a "negotiated resolution" to save TikTok.

This is in line with his earlier election promise that he was "gonna save TikTok", shortly after creating his own account on the social media platform.

Notably, the brief took no position on the merits of the ongoing debate as to whether banning TikTok infringes on Americans' First Amendment rights, which include freedom of speech.

On the same day, TikTok filed a brief attesting that the law is a violation of the First Amendment.

Calling it "profoundly unconstitutional", the platform said that it is one of the nation's "most important venues for communication".

"Shuttering the platform will silence the speech of petitioners and the more than 170 million monthly American users that communicate there about politics, arts, commerce, and other matters of public concern — as illustrated by the massive interest expressed during the recent presidential election," it said, adding:

"The government has banned an extraordinary amount of speech; demands deference to unsubstantiated predictions a future risk will materialise; and gets facts wrong when it bothers to provide them."

Previously wanted to ban TikTok

During his tenure in 2020, Trump said he planned to ban TikTok, and cited national security concerns.

Then-secretary of state Mike Pompeo said that the Trump administration was evaluating TikTok akin to Chinese state-backed tech companies Huawei and ZTE.

He previously described both companies as "Trojan horses for Chinese intelligence".

Subsequently, in April 2024, amid a backdrop of concerns from U.S. lawmakers about TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, and accusations that it handed over sensitive information to the Chinese government, the bill banning TikTok was passed.

Top image from Donald Trump/Facebook and TikTok