Experts say President-elect Trump is keeping his promise to “save” TikTok by brokering the sale of the Chinese-owned app to a U.S. buyer, while also keeping the national security concerns that prompted Congress to authorize the ban. Experts told The Post that it could be treated.
China-based ByteDance must fully sell its stake in TikTok by January 19th or face a complete U.S. ban on the app.
In a final struggle to repeal the law, ByteDance and TikTok appealed to the Supreme Court, hoping President Trump could intervene somehow.
The Supreme Court agreed to take up the case Wednesday and has scheduled oral arguments for Jan. 10, just nine days before the ban goes into effect.
A U.S. appeals court previously rejected TikTok's bid to block the bill in a 3-0 decision, suggesting the company faces an uphill battle to win a delayed reprieve.
According to Michael Sobolik, senior fellow at the U.S. Foreign Policy Council and author of Countering China's Great Game, if President Trump agrees to and gets involved with TikTok remaining online in the United States. If the company decides to do so, a complete sale is the only realistic path forward.
“If we really want TikTok to operate in the United States, and if we want it to operate safely for Americans, it needs to be completely separated from its parent company,” Sobolik said. “And there can be no ownership or control of any kind, direct or indirect, from a hostile foreign government. I don't think we have any other choice.”
Trump, who led the push to ban TikTok during his first term, said at a press conference on Monday that he had “heart and soul” with TikTok and would “take a look” at the situation. Shortly after, Trump met with TikTok CEO Sho Zhi Chu at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Details of the meeting have not yet been disclosed, and it is unclear whether the meeting between Trump and Thieu resulted in any progress towards a resolution.
Representatives for TikTok and the Trump transition team did not respond to requests for comment.
Brokering the deal won't be easy. They argued that TikTok was not for sale, and that it would be impossible to find a buyer, even if one were found, because the margin for sale was so limited.
China has also said it will resist any attempts to force the sale of TikTok, and the Chinese government has put in place export controls to block the sale of the algorithm.
Still, if President Trump is able to hammer out a deal, the looming deadline “creates a tremendous opportunity for a win-win situation,” said Rep. John Moolener, chairman of the House China Select Committee. Republican, Michigan) says. Ban or charge on sale bill.
“President Trump is a great negotiator. He loves America. He loves our national security,” Moolenaar told the Post. “He also recognizes that TikTok is a very valuable platform, and I think he can organize a coalition of people who want this app to continue in the United States, but to do it in a safe way.” I think it can be done.”
The Justice Department said TikTok serves as a tool for Chinese espionage and propaganda on U.S. soil, with “unfathomable depth” and the ability to covertly manipulate the content served to users through recommendation algorithms and mass data collection, including location information. “It is a national security threat of this magnitude.” – Risks such as tracking.
TikTok has argued that the ban is unconstitutional and strongly denies it poses a threat to national security.
Beyond helping negotiate a deal for TikTok, Trump is limited in what he can do to intervene. The law gives the president the power to extend the Jan. 19 deadline by 90 days if there are signs of significant progress toward a deal.
President Trump could push Congress to amend or repeal the law, but that could be difficult given the overwhelming bipartisan support it has.
He could also direct the Justice Department not to enforce the law, but that would shift primary legal responsibility to app store operators like Google and Apple.
Last week, the House Select Committee on China sent a letter to Google's Sundar Pichai and Apple's Tim Cook, obliging them to remove TikTok from app stores by January 19th if the sale doesn't go through. I was reminded of something.
The uncertainty about President Trump's strategy on TikTok poses a challenge for Republicans, including some close allies who have vocally supported a ban.
“Mr. Trump was originally a proponent of banning TikTok, so now it's difficult for his fellow Republicans to have a different opinion,” said a Washington, D.C., official on condition of anonymity. “Trump can get away with it, but they definitely can’t.”
President Trump has softened his rhetoric on TikTok, appointing several China hawks and outspoken critics of TikTok to cabinet and government positions.
These include Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio, Undersecretary of State nominee Jacob Helberg, incoming U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Elise Stefanik, and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr.
Nathan Riemer, a former FCC policy adviser and CEO of Fixed Gear Strategies, said President Trump could try to use TikTok as a bargaining chip as part of broader negotiations with China.
“With President Trump in office, it's a whole new ball game to hold China accountable,” Riemer said. “TikTok is like an arrow in his quiver. Maybe they will strike a sale deal with the Chinese Communist Party. No one would object to a platform that is free from ownership by a totalitarian state.” I won’t.”
