U.S. President-elect Donald Trump suggested on Sunday that he may allow TikTok to continue its operations in the United States, hinting at a potential reprieve for the popular video-sharing app.
Speaking at AmericaFest, an annual event hosted by conservative organization Turning Point USA in Phoenix, Arizona, Trump reflected on TikTok’s role in the recent presidential election. He acknowledged that the platform may have helped reach key voters, expressing openness to keeping TikTok “for a little while.”
“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.'”
Supreme Court to Review TikTok Ban
On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to consider 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 scheduled to hear arguments on January 10 regarding whether the law unconstitutionally limits freedom of speech, potentially breaching the First Amendment.
TikTok filed a petition for an injunction against the law, arguing that the potential ban would silence one of America’s most popular speech platforms on the eve of a presidential inauguration. The company stated that it would “silence the speech of Applicants and the many Americans who use the platform to communicate about politics, commerce, arts, and other matters of public concern.”
Legislation and Legal Challenges
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.
In May, TikTok sued the U.S. government to block the potential ban, which has faced widespread criticism from various sectors.
Earlier in December, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., dismissed TikTok’s claim that the ban is unconstitutional, setting the stage for the Supreme Court’s upcoming review.
(With input from agencies)
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
