Donald Trump plans to ‘save’ TikTok from the threatened US ban | News about Donald Trump
His camp says it is exploring options to ‘create space to reach an agreement’ after media reports of the executive order plan.
Donald Trump is exploring options to save Chinese-owned video app TikTok from a nationwide ban, according to one of his top advisers.
Mike Waltz, who is slated to serve as Trump’s national security adviser, confirmed Wednesday that Trump is exploring options to “preserve” the app after a report in The Washington Post said he was considering an executive order to stop it federal ban from coming into force on January 19.
“We’re going to find a way to preserve that, but protect people’s data,” Waltz said in an interview with Fox News. “I don’t want to overstate our executive orders, but we’re going to create this space to make that deal.”
A Washington Post report, citing anonymous sources, said Trump, who officially takes office a day after the TikTok ban is set to take effect, will issue an executive order suspending its enforcement for 60 to 90 days.
The report offered no details on the legal ramifications of the move, which would likely buy the administration time to negotiate a sale or alternative solution.
Reports of the plan came to light as Supreme Court is considering oral arguments in a legal challenge to the bipartisan statute brought by TikTok, its China-based parent company ByteDance, and the app’s users.
At the time of the report, the justices appeared to uphold the law, which requires ByteDance to take down TikTok on national security grounds or face a ban on new downloads from the Apple or Google app stores in one of its biggest markets.
Trump, who tried to ban TikTok during his first term due to national security concerns, changed his tune during the 2024 presidential campaign, promising to “save” the app, which he felt helped him attract the youth vote.
On Wednesday, Pam Bondi, Trump’s pick for attorney general, dodged a question during a Senate hearing about whether she would support a ban on TikTok.
A report on the NBC network said the Biden administration was weighing options to keep the social media platform available to users beyond Sunday, in an attempt to delay Trump’s ban decision.
“Americans should not expect TikTok to be suddenly banned on Sunday,” an administration official told the broadcaster.
