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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowPresident Joe Biden won’t enforce a ban on the social media app TikTok that is set to take effect a day before he leaves office on Monday, a U.S. official said Thursday, leaving its fate in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump.
Congress last year, in a law signed by Biden, required that TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance divest the company by Jan. 19, a day before the presidential inauguration. The official said the outgoing administration was leaving the implementation of the law—and the potential enforcement of the ban—to Trump.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal Biden administration thinking.
Trump, who once called to ban the app, has since pledged to keep it available in the U.S., though his transition team has not said how they intend to accomplish that.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is expected to attend Trump’s inauguration and be granted a prime seating location on the dais as the president-elect’s national security adviser signals that the incoming administration may take steps to “keep TikTok from going dark.”
Incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz on Thursday told Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” that the federal law that could ban TikTok by Sunday also “allows for an extension as long as a viable deal is on the table.”
The push to save TikTok, much like the move to ban it in the U.S., has crossed partisan lines. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said he spoke with Biden on Thursday to advocate for extending the deadline to ban TikTok.
“It’s clear that more time is needed to find an American buyer and not disrupt the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans, of so many influencers who have built up a good network of followers,” Schumer said Thursday on the Senate floor.
Democrats had tried on Wednesday to pass legislation that would have extended the deadline, but Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas blocked it. Cotton, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that TikTok has had ample time to find a buyer.
“TikTok is a Chinese Communist spy app that addicts our kids, harvests their data, targets them with harmful and manipulative content, and spreads communist propaganda,” Cotton said.
TikTok CEO’s is expected to be seated on the dais for the inauguration along with tech billionaires Elon Musk, who is CEO of SpaceX, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, according to two people with the matter. The people spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning.
Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a legal challenge to the statute brought by TikTok, its China-based parent company ByteDance, and users of the app. The Justices seemed likely to uphold the law, which requires ByteDance to divest TikTok on national security grounds or face a ban in one of its biggest markets.
The Supreme Court ‘s decision could come Friday in the case.
Trump has reversed his position on the popular app, having tried to ban it during his first term in office over national security concerns. He joined TikTok during his 2024 presidential campaign and his team used it to connect with younger voters, especially male voters, by pushing content that was often macho and aimed at going viral. He pledged to “save TikTok” during the campaign and has credited the platform with helping him win more youth votes.
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Bad move by Biden. Presidents don’t get to choose which laws they enforce.
Agreed. And it’s pathetic how both parties are backpedaling away from this ban they both supported. Biden was right to warn about an oligarchy, but most Democrats are just as guilty of enabling it as the GOP.
Fascinating observation about our society that issues surrounding the banning of a social media app stirs more concern than the issue of undoing the death sentences of convicted murderers. And actually, the law is not banning the app – but requiring the CCP (ooops, I mean the owners of TikTok) to sell the app to a non CCP controlled entity.
Not even an official “move” (just a source).
Office is in transition. Not a significant enforcement action can be made at in one day without affecting Trump’s agenda for the project. Trump says he’s got this and he seems to be discussing a solution with all the folks involved. Let’s see.
By the way, all Presidents prioritize (or “choose” if you wish) which laws they enforce and determine how they’re to be implemented.
The Chinese are playing the long game here. Trump was correct to perceive the threat and ban the thing or force divestiture … or, failing that, force the Chinese to allow American social media companies to operate in China in the same way. It’s how the Chinese plan to change hearts and minds and collect a metric ton of data on American citizens, which they’ve been caught lying about repeatedly.
Instead, he’s OK with it continuing because he thinks he will profit from it in some way. So he’s selling us all out, for the first of many times.