U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday suggested he may allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States, indicating a possible shift in his administration’s stance toward the popular video-sharing app.
Speaking at AmericaFest, an annual gathering organized by the conservative group Turning Point USA in Phoenix, Arizona, Trump acknowledged TikTok’s impact on reaching key voters during the presidential election.
“I think we’re going to have to start thinking because, you know, we did go on TikTok, and we had a great response with billions of views, billions and billions of views,” Trump told the crowd. “They brought me a chart, and it was a record, and it was so beautiful to see, and as I looked at it, I said, ‘Maybe we’ve got to keep this sucker around for a little while.'”
The remarks come amid ongoing legal battles surrounding TikTok’s future in the United States. On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review a request from TikTok and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to block a law that would require the sale of the app by January 19 or face a ban on national security grounds.
The nation’s highest court is set to hear arguments on January 10 regarding whether the law unconstitutionally limits freedom of speech, potentially violating the First Amendment. TikTok argues that the ban would silence one of America’s most popular platforms for speech just a day before a presidential inauguration, impacting millions who use the app to communicate about politics, commerce, arts, and other matters of public concern.
In April, U.S. President Joe Biden enacted a law giving ByteDance 270 days to sell TikTok, citing national security concerns. If the company fails to comply, the law mandates that app store operators such as Apple and Google remove TikTok from their platforms.
In May, TikTok filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government to block the potential ban, which has drawn widespread criticism. Earlier this month, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., dismissed TikTok’s claim that the ban is unconstitutional.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
