TikTok Plans US Comeback Following Trump's Executive Order Delay

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TikTok announced on Sunday that it was working to restore access to its app after President-elect Donald Trump stated he would issue an executive order on Monday to delay a ban on the Chinese-owned social media platform.

Trump, who will be inaugurated at noon ET on Monday, also expressed a desire for the U.S. to hold 50% ownership of TikTok. In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump emphasized that the U.S. should have significant control over TikTok.

TikTok confirmed in a post on X that it was working with service providers to restore the app. The company thanked Trump for providing clarity to service providers, ensuring they would face no penalties for continuing to offer TikTok to Americans and supporting the platform’s role in helping over 7 million small businesses.

The app had gone offline on Sunday after the Supreme Court upheld a law requiring TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell the platform by January 19 or face a ban due to national security concerns. The law, passed by Congress and signed by President Biden in April, required ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. operations by the set deadline.

Trump's upcoming executive order aims to extend the deadline, giving time for a potential deal that addresses national security issues. The order would also protect companies from liability for helping keep TikTok operational until the new order takes effect.

Trump proposed a joint venture where the U.S. would hold 50% ownership, with TikTok’s current or new owners. While Chinese officials prefer ByteDance retain control of TikTok, they have also considered selling TikTok’s U.S. operations to a trusted non-Chinese party, such as Elon Musk.

However, as of Sunday afternoon, TikTok was unavailable on Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store in the U.S. Apple confirmed that, starting January 19, 2025, apps developed by ByteDance, including TikTok, CapCut, and Lemon8, would no longer be available for download or updates in the U.S.

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