- Trump meets TikTok CEO amid US ban threat
- TikTok seeks delay in US Supreme Court
- Trump opposes ban, citing potential Facebook gain
US President-elect Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of TikTok, as the popular social media platform faces the threat of being banned in the United States.
Trump is set to meet Chew at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Monday, according to sources cited by CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.
The meeting comes as TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is racing against the clock to comply with a law passed earlier this year. The law mandates that TikTok must be sold by ByteDance before January 19, or face a ban. In response, TikTok has filed an emergency application to the US Supreme Court, seeking a delay of the ban.
The US government has expressed concerns over the alleged links between ByteDance and the Chinese government. However, both TikTok and ByteDance have consistently denied these claims.
The legislation introducing the law cited national security risks posed by “foreign adversary-controlled applications.”
Despite the law, Trump has voiced his opposition to a ban on TikTok, a reversal from his stance during his first term when he supported the ban. His opposition is partly due to the belief that such a move could benefit Facebook, a company he has accused of playing a role in his 2020 election loss.
Trump, however, will not officially begin his second term until January 20, the day after the deadline outlined in the law.
In its filing to the Supreme Court on Monday, TikTok requested a “modest delay” in the enforcement of the ban. The company argued that this would provide “breathing room” for a review by the Court and allow the incoming administration to “evaluate this matter.” TikTok also emphasized its significance as “one of the most significant speech platforms” in the US and warned that the ban would cause “immediate irreparable harm” to both the company and its users.
Earlier this month, a federal appeals court rejected TikTok’s attempt to overturn the ban, ruling that the law was the result of “extensive, bipartisan action by Congress and successive presidents.”
At a press conference on Monday, Trump addressed the TikTok issue, stating that his administration would “take a look at TikTok.” He added, “I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok because I won youth by 34 points.”
While TikTok has faced scrutiny in the US, particularly among younger voters, Trump pointed out that the platform may have played a role in his success. “There are those that say that TikTok has something to do with that. TikTok had an impact,” he said.
Although a majority of young voters aged 18 to 29 supported Trump’s Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris, in the 2020 election, there was a notable shift toward Trump among this demographic compared to the previous election.
Trump only joined TikTok in June, but quickly gained millions of followers, further amplifying his campaign efforts through the platform.
