TikTok
President-elect Donald Trump suggested on Sunday that he may be open to allowing TikTok to continue operating in the United States for at least a little longer.
During a speech to a crowd of conservative supporters in Phoenix, Arizona, Trump highlighted the success his campaign had on TikTok, citing the billions of views he garnered on the platform.
This remark marked one of his strongest signals yet that he may oppose a potential TikTok exit from the US market.
The US Senate passed a law in April requiring TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest the app, citing national security concerns over the potential for Chinese government access to US user data.
In response, TikTok’s owners have sought to challenge the law in court, and the US Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case.
However, if the court rules against ByteDance and the divestment order is upheld, TikTok could be banned in the United States as early as January 19, the day before Trump takes office.
In his speech, Trump reflected on his campaign’s success on TikTok, mentioning that his team had shown him a chart displaying the app’s record-breaking views.
He remarked that, after seeing the chart, he thought, “Maybe we gotta keep this sucker around for a little while.” Trump’s comments seem to suggest that he might be inclined to rethink the app’s potential ban, given its positive impact on his campaign.
Trump met with TikTok’s CEO on Monday, and in a news conference following their meeting, he expressed a “warm spot” for the app due to its role in his successful campaign. He emphasized that TikTok’s influence had helped him reach a broad audience, especially among younger voters.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Justice maintains that TikTok poses a national security risk due to its Chinese ownership, a stance that is largely supported by lawmakers.
TikTok has countered these claims, arguing that its content recommendation system and user data are stored on US-based cloud servers operated by Oracle, and that content moderation for US users is handled within the country.
Despite this, the debate over TikTok’s future in the US continues, with Trump’s recent comments adding another layer of uncertainty.
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