President-elect Donald Trump is expected to try to block a potential US ban on TikTok ahead of a looming January deadline, according to multiple sources, including longtime ally Kellyanne Conway. It is being
TikTok is fighting in court to block a federal law that would force the app's China-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell its shares by January 19, the day before President Trump's inauguration, or shut down completely. There is. The law allows the president to extend the deadline for a sale by 90 days if “significant progress” is made toward a sale.
Trump has repeatedly vowed to “save TikTok” if he is elected president, including in a post on September 4. About the true society. His support comes despite President Trump spearheading an effort to ban the app during his first term.
Since winning the election, President Trump has not indicated whether he would seek to end the ban.
But Conway, who served as a senior adviser to President Trump during his first term, Reportedly supported TikTok in Congress Over the last year – told the Washington Post She said she expects President Trump to intervene on behalf of social media companies.
Three other anonymous sources familiar with his views on the matter also supported Conway's claims, the report said.
“He values the breadth and reach of TikTok and has cleverly used that with podcasts and new media entrants to win,” Conway told the Jeff Bezos-owned newspaper.
“There are many ways to hold China accountable other than alienating its 180 million monthly U.S. users,” added Conway, who is close to the president-elect. “Mr. Trump announced early on that the Democratic Party would be the party to ban gasoline-powered cars, menthol cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, plastic straws, TikTok, etc., and that the Democratic Party would have the freedom to make those strict, anti-individual choices. I recognized it.”
Caroline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for Trump's transition team, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the New York Post.
However, she responded to a question about President Trump's campaign promise to save the app in a statement. To the Associated Press.
“The American people re-elected President Trump by a wide margin and gave him a mandate to deliver on the promises he made during his campaign,” Levitt said. “He'll deliver.”
TikTok declined to comment on this report.
Alan Rosenstein, a former Justice Department national security adviser, told The Washington Post that President Trump has lobbied Congress to repeal the law and directed his picks for attorney general not to enforce it. He said it was possible.
A federal appeals court is expected to rule on TikTok's challenge by Dec. 6, but further appeals could reach the Supreme Court. Appeals could extend into Trump's presidency.
As The Post reported, TikTok's legal team faced intense questioning in September from the three-judge panel ruling on the case.
The divestment law received broad bipartisan support in Congress, with lawmakers arguing that TikTok poses a national security threat. TikTok has denied the allegations and argued that the law violates the First Amendment.
In a March interview with CNBCPresident Trump acknowledged that he considers TikTok a national security risk, but said a ban would benefit Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook, which he calls an “enemy of the people.” He said he was concerned.
Another possibility is that President Trump is reportedly planning to select Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) as secretary of state. Rubio is known as a China hawk and has been a sharp critic of TikTok.
