TikTok Back Online In The U.S. After Trump’s Intervention

TikTok has announced the immediate restoration of its services in the United States following assurances from President-elect Donald Trump. The popular video-sharing platform, which had faced the looming threat of a ban, expressed gratitude for Trump’s intervention in a statement released today.

“With the guidance of President Trump, we have secured an agreement with our service providers that allows us to bring TikTok back online for our American users,” the statement read. TikTok highlighted that this move ensures continued service to over 170 million users in the U.S. and supports more than 7 million small businesses that rely on the platform for growth and visibility.

The assurance from Trump to service providers was pivotal, as it guaranteed that they would not face legal repercussions for continuing to host and distribute TikTok, a significant concern due to previous legislative actions aimed at banning the app.

This development comes after months of legal battles and political debates over national security concerns linked to TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance. The platform was on the brink of being removed from U.S. app stores and web hosting services due to a law signed by President Joe Biden, which mandated ByteDance to divest TikTok or face a ban.

Trump’s intervention, promising a 90-day extension to negotiate a solution or a “qualified divestiture,” has been seen as a lifeline for TikTok. His administration’s approach appears to lean towards finding a political resolution rather than enforcing the immediate ban, reflecting a significant shift from his previous stance during his first term where he sought to ban the app outright.

Trump said he would “extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.”

“I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture,” he wrote on Truth Social.

Trump said the executive order would specify there would be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before his order.

TikTok’s statement also framed the restoration as a victory for free speech, stating, “It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship.” The company pledged to collaborate with Trump’s administration on a long-term strategy to maintain its presence in the U.S., suggesting potential future negotiations could involve changes in ownership structure or operational practices to address security concerns.

It was not immediately clear whether TikTok was working as it did before the company instituted a blackout late Saturday. Some users reported that the app was working, and TikTok’s website appeared to be functioning for at least some users. However, the app remained unavailable for download on Apple’s app store.

Google and Apple removed the app from their digital stores to comply with a federal law that required them to do so if TikTok parent company ByteDance didn’t sell its U.S. operation by Sunday. The law, which passed with wide bipartisan support in April, allowed for steep fines for non-compliance.

Trump saving TikTok represents a reversal in stance from his first term in office. In 2020, he aimed to ban the app over concerns the company was sharing Americans’ personal info with the Chinese government. More recently, Trump has said he has “a warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” crediting the app with helping him win over young voters in the 2024 election.

Not everyone in Trump’s Republican Party agreed with efforts to get around the law and “Save TikTok”.

Republican senators Tom Cotton and Pete Ricketts said in a joint statement: “Now that the law has taken effect, there is no legal basis for any kind of ‘extension’ of its effective date. For TikTok to come back online in the future, ByteDance must agree to a sale that satisfies the law’s qualified-divestiture requirements by severing all ties between TikTok and Communist China.”

The U.S. has never banned a major social media platform. The law passed overwhelmingly by Congress gives the incoming Trump administration sweeping authority to ban or seek the sale of other Chinese-owned apps.

Other apps owned by ByteDance, including video editing app CapCut and lifestyle social app Lemon8, were also offline and unavailable in U.S. app stores as of late Saturday.