President-elect Donald Trump is considering a move that could delay America’s pending TikTok ban.
Trump may issue an executive order that would enable Americans to continue using the social media app for a certain period of time, allowing the incoming administration to have more runway to find a suitable buyer, reported The Washington Post.
Last month, The Dallas Express reported that all three D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals judges ruled to uphold a law that could ban the app in the U.S.
The motion followed the legislation passed by Congress earlier in 2024 and subsequently signed into law by President Biden, mandating the Chinese parent company, Byte Dance, sell the platform to an American owner by the following year or face a restriction on the app use in the U.S.
Last month, Trump requested that the Supreme Court stay the law to give his administration more time to find a solution, per the Post.
If the ban proceeds as planned, the app will be restricted as of Sunday. This means the ban would come one day before Trump takes office. Any executive order from Trump would actually come after the ban was already in place.
Some lawmakers are urging President Biden to delay the TikTok ban while he still has a chance.
“The stakes here are high: As a practical matter, even if the Court rules that the law is constitutional by the January deadline, ByteDance cannot divest TikTok in that limited time,” United States Senators Edward J. Markey and Rand Paul wrote to Biden on December 19, 2024.
Biden needs to convince Congress that interested buyers are making progress on a potential acquisition. If he can, Biden can provide TikTok a one-time 90-day extension on operating in the U.S.
Even if TikTok is forced to shut down on Sunday, that does not necessarily mean the application is gone for good. Should an American buyer be found later, the app could once again be available in the U.S.
Of course, this story could take a completely different turn. Chinese officials have reportedly discussed the possibility of selling TikTok to Elon Musk. This would not be Musk’s first high-profile social media application purchase. In 2022, the eccentric entrepreneur made headlines by buying Twitter, which he famously renamed X.