Trump Reconsiders TikTok Ban: High-Stakes Meeting with CEO Looms

Trump Discusses Potential TikTok Ban with CEO

In a surprising turn of events, President-elect Donald Trump is slated to meet with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew on the brink of a prospective U.S. ban on the globally popular video app, according to an NBC News informant. Trump had previously attempted to ban the app in 2020 but was thwarted by the court system.

During a news conference held earlier in the day, Trump seemed favorably disposed towards TikTok and hinted at reconsidering the ban. The president-elect's unexpected change of heart has stirred surprise among some and delight among others, including significant TikTok investor and Republican megadonor, Jeff Yass.

The Impending TikTok Legislation

A federal law signed by President Joe Biden in early 2022, which is set to take effect on January 19, would enforce a U.S. ban on TikTok unless its China-based owners agree to relinquish their interest. TikTok, in turn, appealed to the Supreme Court to stay the enforcement of the legal provision, which the federal appeals court upheld this month. Biden reserves the liberty to extend a single 90-day exemption from the law to the app.

Trump, who is due to take office on January 20, one day post the enforcement of the law, is slated to meet the TikTok CEO at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Is TikTok a Privacy Concern?

Staunch proponents of the ban, encompassing Democrats and Republicans in Congress alike, argue that TikTok, owing to its Chinese ownership, potentially compromises user privacy and presents the risk of manipulating content that it hosts.

TikTok Seeks Supreme Court Intervention

Amid the looming sell-or-ban deadline, TikTok, along with its parent company ByteDance, appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to impede the enforcement of the law demanding TikTok's American divestiture or prohibition.

In desperate times, TikTok has petitioned the Supreme Court to reconsider the law prior to January 6, thereby allowing American app stores and hosting providers a limited window of a few weeks to make necessary arrangements before the January 19 deadline, when the U.S. could mandate them to restrict access to TikTok.

"TikTok is urging the Court to uphold its traditional stance in free speech cases by applying stringent scrutiny to speech bans and concluding that it infringes the First Amendment," expressed Michael Hughes, a representative of TikTok stated to TechCrunch. However, its plea for reassessment on these grounds has been juggled aside by the Department of Justice, which recently urged a U.S. appeals court to dismiss a motion from ByteDance to stay the law.