Just a few years ago, President Donald Trump led the charge to ban TikTok, the wildly popular video app, citing national security concerns over its Chinese ownership. But since returning to the White House earlier this week, he has positioned himself as TikTok’s unexpected champion.
On the eve of his second inauguration, Trump announced plans to issue an executive order that would postpone the app’s ban. His proposal would give his team time to strategize how to protect national security while preventing a forced sale of TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance. Hours later, TikTok was restored across the country, a move that many have celebrated as a huge win for the app’s 170 million American users.
“The statements issued today by both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice have failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok’s availability to over 170 million Americans,” the company wrote in a past news release. “Unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19.”
The sudden shift shows a possible change of heart from Trump, given that his original stance on TikTok was one of opposition. In 2020, he signed an executive order attempting to ban the app, citing its ties to China’s government and the risk of data being “misused.”
However, in the 2024 campaign, Trump reversed his position on TikTok, recognizing the app’s influence, especially among young voters. He joined the platform in 2024 and quickly gained millions of followers.
As TikTok’s CEO, Shou Chew, met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago last December and appeared at his inauguration this weekend, the company has taken steps to publicly connect itself with the President.
“I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States,” Chew said in a video posted to his TikTok page.
For now, Trump’s TikTok move is a win for both the platform’s users and the company itself, which had faced growing uncertainty over the future of its operations in the U.S.
During Monday evening’s signing of the executive order lifting the ban on TikTok, Trump said that he could envision the U.S. government acquiring a 50% stake in the company someday.