TikTok is currently facing a ban in the United States that is set to go into effect next month. But President-elect Donald Trump has made a move that could halt that ban.
On Friday, Trump requested that the Supreme Court pause the enforcement of a law set to ban the social media app TikTok in the U.S. on Jan. 19 unless its Chinese parent company sells it.
In April, Biden enacted the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which effectively prohibited TikTok in the United States.
The legislation requires ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese owner, to sell the platform to a U.S.-based company or face a ban.
The Supreme Court is slated to hear arguments on the case on Jan. 10, but Trump is asking for a postponement of their decision.
In a statement released Friday, Trump called on the Supreme Court to delay its ruling to give his administration time to pursue a “political resolution.”
“President Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute,” wrote D. John Sauer, Trump’s attorney and his nominee for U.S. solicitor general, according to NBC News.
“Instead, he respectfully requests that the Court consider staying the Act’s deadline for divestment of January 19, 2025, while it considers the merits of this case, thus permitting President Trump’s incoming Administration the opportunity to pursue a political resolution of the questions at issue in the case.”
The statement indicates that Trump believes he can achieve a resolution before the court issues a decision.
“President Trump alone possesses the consummate dealmaking expertise, the electoral mandate, and the political will to negotiate a resolution to save the platform while addressing the national security concerns expressed by the Government—concerns which President Trump himself has acknowledged,” Sauer wrote.
Needless to say, this shocking news led to a lot of reactions on social media.
“When the garbage man is right about ONE and this ONE thing only,” one person wrote on X.
“Genuinely so funny that the ban was initially his idea back in 2020, and now he gets to be the hero for stopping it. And everyone has goldfish brains so nobody remembers,” someone else added.
“Finally doing something good,” another person wrote.
“Only good thing he’s ever done in his life,” someone else said.
“Actual good thing he did, removing tik tok would remove a lot of people’s way of income,” another person added.
We’ll have to see whether or not Trump actually prevents the app from being banned.
