Newly-sworn President of the United States, Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive action that delays enforcement of the TikTok ban for 75 days.
The action directs the US Justice Department not to enforce the Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which passed with broad bipartisan support in Congress and was signed in April by former President Joe Biden.
The law required that starting January 19, TikTok be banned in the United States unless it sells to a buyer from America or one of its allies.
“The unfortunate timing of section 2(a) of the Act — one day before I took office as the 47th President of the United States — interferes with my ability to assess the national security and foreign policy implications of the Act’s prohibitions before they take effect,” Trump’s executive action said.
“This timing also interferes with my ability to negotiate a resolution to avoid an abrupt shutdown of the TikTok platform while addressing national security concerns.”
The action says the 75-day delay will help the Trump administration attempt to “determine the appropriate course forward in an orderly way that protects national security while avoiding an abrupt shutdown of a communications platform used by millions of Americans.”
Trump told reporters Monday that he changed his mind on TikTok because he “got to use it.”
“And remember, TikTok is largely about kids, young kids,” Trump said in the Oval Office when asked what changed his mind. “If China is going to get information about young kids out of it, to be honest, I think we have bigger problems than that.”
He also told reporters the action that he signed on TikTok gave him the right to either “sell it or close it.”
“I have the right to either sell it or close it, and we’ll make that determination,” Trump added.
But TikTok’s ultimate fate in America remains in doubt. It’s unclear that TikTok’s China-based owner, ByteDance, would want to sell to a buyer, even if it were a deal brokered by Trump.
TikTok restored access for American users midday on Sunday, crediting Trump for bringing the app back.
“I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect so that we can make a deal to protect our national security,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Sunday, January 19.
He added that he would not hold TikTok’s technology partners including Apple, Google, and cloud computing company Oracle — liable for continuing to make the app available until he signed the order.
“We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok,” TikTok said in a statement Sunday. “We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.”
