President-elect Trump will take steps to preserve TikTok after taking office, the incoming national security adviser announced Wednesday, with the app's owners facing a ban if they don't sell it in the United States. The deadline to do so is approaching.
Mike Walz told Fox News that President Trump will take action to maintain access and protect users' data on the apps that the president-elect has repeatedly praised in recent weeks.
“TikTok itself is a great platform,” Walz said. “I wish we could put it in our phones. The algorithms are amazing. We're going to find a way to protect people's data while preserving it. And that's the deal in front of us. ”
Shortly after, Waltz appeared on “Special Report” with Bret Bayer. The Washington Post reported President Trump was considering various options to save TikTok in the face of an impending ban, including an executive order.
Bipartisan legislation signed by President Biden in April requires TikTok to divest from China-based owner ByteDance or face a ban in the United States starting Sunday.
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the law last week, with the justices expressing sympathy for the government's national security concerns about the platform's ties to China.
The high court will either uphold the law banning TikTok, strike it down on First Amendment grounds and preserve the app, or temporarily preserve TikTok until the court issues a final ruling. We are planning to issue a judgment on whether or not to intervene. opinion.
“If the Supreme Court rules in favor of this law, President Trump will very clearly support this law,” Walz said. “First, TikTok is a great platform that many Americans use and was perfect for his campaign to get his message across. But second, he's going to protect their data.
“There are people who don't want the U.S. government to see all their data and passwords. We definitely don't want the Chinese government to see all their data and passwords,” he continued. “He's a dealmaker. He doesn't want to pre-empt the executive order, but he's going to create space to make that deal.”
