Trump will likely extend the TikTok deadline while he reviews the situation. However, the Biden Admin did not take action two days ago, causing TikTok’s shutdown.
Now that the Supreme Court has issued a decision in TikTok, Inc. v. Garland that upholds the ban passed by Congress, @nyulaw's Christopher Sprigman is weighing in on free speech concerns and the future of social media regulation: https://t.co/Mbm28PrHRk
— New York University (@nyuniversity) January 17, 2025
President Donald Trump said he will “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day extension to avoid a ban in the U.S. after he takes office on Monday. In a phone interview with “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker, Trump stated that he hadn’t made a final decision. Still, she was considering the extension for TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell to a non-Chinese buyer or face a U.S. ban. “I think that would be an option that we look at.
The 90-day extension will most likely be done because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate. We have to look at it carefully.
We cannot allow TikTok to go dark on Sunday. I urge the Biden administration to take further steps to ensure that doesn’t happen. https://t.co/b8B2TDz3hi
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) January 18, 2025
It’s a very big situation,” Trump said. He added, “If I decide to do that, I’ll probably announce it on Monday.”
I am deeply disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the TikTok ban. I am not done fighting to pass my 270 day extension. We need more time. https://t.co/MgAWO7NvtR
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) January 17, 2025
A 90-day extension under specific conditions is allowed for in the bipartisan law passed last year.
TIKTOK:
Senate Democrats tried to pass an extension of the TikTok ban.
Senate Republicans BLOCKED it.
We'll keep working to:
Keep TikTok going
Protect American livelihoods
And protect against Chinese Communist Party surveillance. pic.twitter.com/Mg6XnLa2eu
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 16, 2025
However, an extension announced on Monday may not be enough to prevent the app from going dark for at least a day, as the current compliance deadline is Sunday.
The fate of TikTok is one of the subjects consuming the final days of the Biden administration. Many of the app’s millions of U.S. users eagerly await a resolution. The Biden administration has repeatedly said it does not plan to enforce the law, passing that responsibility to Trump.
However, TikTok indicated that the White House’s assurances might not be enough to prevent the app from shutting down. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called TikTok’s plans to go dark a “stunt.” She said, “We have seen the most recent statement from TikTok.
Trump may grant TikTok extension
It is a stunt, and we see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take actions in the next few days before the Trump Administration takes office on Monday.”
“We have laid out our position clearly and straightforwardly: actions to implement this law will fall to the next administration. So TikTok and other companies should take up any concerns with them,” she added. President Joe Biden signed the law last April, requiring ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. operations by January 19, 2025.
The president can grant a one-time extension of 90 days if he certifies to Congress that three conditions are met: There’s a path to divestiture, significant progress toward executing it, and the necessary binding legal agreements are in place to complete the divestiture during the extension period. No such binding legal agreements have been made public. Trump’s support for TikTok marks a sharp reversal from his stance during his first term when he sought to ban TikTok and the Chinese messaging app WeChat.
The courts blocked that attempt. Lawmakers who have supported a sale or ban cite ByteDance’s ties to the Chinese government and the app’s collection of personal data from American citizens as primary concerns. TikTok’s fans have protested the possible sale or ban, and on Friday, the Supreme Court rejected the app’s free speech arguments in an unsigned opinion with no dissents.
Following the ruling, Trump stated, “The Supreme Court decision was expected, and everyone must respect it. My decision on TikTok will be made in the not-too-distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!”
TikTok CEO Shou Chew expressed his hopes to keep the app running in the U.S. The Biden administration officials signaled that they would not enforce the law on Sunday, the last day of Biden’s term.
“Given the sheer fact of timing, this Administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration, which takes office on Monday,” Jean-Pierre said. “The statements issued today by both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice have failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok’s availability to over 170 million Americans,” TikTok said in a statement. “Unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately, TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19,” the statement added.
