At an event hosted by Turning Point USA in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump suggested he may allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States “for a little while.” The announcement came during his speech at AmericaFest, an annual gathering organized by the conservative group.
“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 enthusiastic 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 gotta keep this sucker around for a little while.'”
The potential reversal comes amid ongoing legal battles surrounding the popular video-sharing app. 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, in breach of the First Amendment. TikTok argues that the potential ban would shutter one of America’s most popular speech platforms just before a presidential inauguration, silencing the voices of millions of users.
In April, U.S. President Joe Biden enacted the law that gives ByteDance 270 days to sell TikTok, citing national security concerns. Failure to comply would require app store operators such as Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their platforms.
TikTok has sued the U.S. government to block the potential ban, which has drawn widespread criticism. In early December, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. dismissed TikTok’s claim that the ban is unconstitutional.
The future of TikTok in the United States remains uncertain, but Trump’s recent comments hint at a possible shift in policy. As millions of users await the outcome, the debate over national security and freedom of speech continues to intensify.
