What Might Happen Next After Trump Signs Order to Delay TikTok Ban?
What might come next after Trump signs an order to delay the TikTok ban?
TroibNews 
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday aimed at postponing by 75 days the enforcement of a ban on the widely-used short-video app TikTok, which was scheduled to be closed down on January 19. This action came immediately following his inauguration as the 47th president of the United States.
During the signing, Trump indicated that the U.S. government should take a 50% ownership stake in TikTok's U.S. operations in exchange for allowing the app to continue functioning. He also issued a warning that tariffs could be imposed on China. In response, China's Foreign Ministry stated on Monday that companies should "decide independently" regarding their operations and agreements.
As of now, ByteDance has not published an official statement nor responded to CN's inquiries concerning the executive order or the ongoing negotiations.
TikTok's CEO Shou Zi Chew was present at Trump's inauguration with numerous other technology leaders in prime seating. His attendance highlights TikTok's intent to engage with the new administration, although there have been no confirmed discussions between Chew and Trump about the app's future during the event.
The situation escalated over the weekend when the app, which has 170 million American users, was taken offline just before a law mandating its sale by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, due to national security concerns, took effect. The following day, Trump announced his plans to "save TikTok." Within hours, the platform began restoring operations in the U.S. by Monday, although TikTok remains unavailable for download in Apple's and Google's app stores.
Trump's executive order, signed just after his inauguration, reflects his previous commitments and instructs the attorney general to refrain from enforcing the law to allow his team time "to determine the appropriate course of action with respect to TikTok.”
However, the legality of this order is uncertain. The law necessitating the sale received overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress, was signed by President Joe Biden, and has been upheld by a unanimous decision from the Supreme Court. Moreover, the legislation does not empower Trump to extend the deadline unless there are "binding agreements" in place for ByteDance to sell TikTok, and it remains unclear whether such agreements exist.
The order also instructs the Justice Department to communicate with companies like Apple, Alphabet's Google, and Oracle, which provide services to TikTok, indicating that there has been no violation of the statute and that there is no liability for any actions that took place during the specified timeframe.
It is yet to be determined if Trump's directive will be sufficient to persuade Apple and Google to reinstate the app in the United States.
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
During the signing, Trump indicated that the U.S. government should take a 50% ownership stake in TikTok's U.S. operations in exchange for allowing the app to continue functioning. He also issued a warning that tariffs could be imposed on China. In response, China's Foreign Ministry stated on Monday that companies should "decide independently" regarding their operations and agreements.
As of now, ByteDance has not published an official statement nor responded to CN's inquiries concerning the executive order or the ongoing negotiations.
TikTok's CEO Shou Zi Chew was present at Trump's inauguration with numerous other technology leaders in prime seating. His attendance highlights TikTok's intent to engage with the new administration, although there have been no confirmed discussions between Chew and Trump about the app's future during the event.
The situation escalated over the weekend when the app, which has 170 million American users, was taken offline just before a law mandating its sale by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, due to national security concerns, took effect. The following day, Trump announced his plans to "save TikTok." Within hours, the platform began restoring operations in the U.S. by Monday, although TikTok remains unavailable for download in Apple's and Google's app stores.
Trump's executive order, signed just after his inauguration, reflects his previous commitments and instructs the attorney general to refrain from enforcing the law to allow his team time "to determine the appropriate course of action with respect to TikTok.”
However, the legality of this order is uncertain. The law necessitating the sale received overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress, was signed by President Joe Biden, and has been upheld by a unanimous decision from the Supreme Court. Moreover, the legislation does not empower Trump to extend the deadline unless there are "binding agreements" in place for ByteDance to sell TikTok, and it remains unclear whether such agreements exist.
The order also instructs the Justice Department to communicate with companies like Apple, Alphabet's Google, and Oracle, which provide services to TikTok, indicating that there has been no violation of the statute and that there is no liability for any actions that took place during the specified timeframe.
It is yet to be determined if Trump's directive will be sufficient to persuade Apple and Google to reinstate the app in the United States.
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
