President-elect Donald Trump said on Jan. 19 that he is asking tech companies to keep social media platform TikTok online and would sign an executive order postponing the federal ban of the social media website in the United States.
Trump’s announcement was made as millions of U.S. users found they could no longer access the TikTok app or platform.
After the president-elect’s post, TikTok announced it had restored access in the United States. The platform is available again to U.S.-based users.
The platform previously became unavailable in the United States on the night of Jan. 18, before a federal ban on the Chinese-owned short-video app took effect. The law requires TikTok parent company ByteDance to sell its U.S. operation to an approved buyer by Jan. 19 or face a ban.
“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the United States,” a message on the app stated on Jan. 18.
“Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned.”
Both Google and Apple removed the app from their digital marketplaces to comply with the federal law.
On Jan. 19, the Apple App Store posted a statement about the ongoing ban, indicating that both TikTok and all apps from parent company ByteDance are no longer available in the United States, leaving domestic users with limited access to features.
“Apple is obligated to follow the laws in the jurisdictions where it operates. Pursuant to the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, apps developed by ByteDance Ltd. and its subsidiaries ... will no longer be available for download or updates on the App Store for users in the United States starting Jan. 19, 2025,” the statement reads.
Apple said the affected apps include TikTok, TikTok Studio, TikTok Shop Seller Center, CapCut, Lemon8, Hypic, Lark-Team Collaboration, Lark-Rooms Display, Lark Rooms Controller, Gauth: AI Study Companion, and Marvel Snap.
Trump said on Jan. 19 that there would be no liability for any companies that help keep TikTok online before he issued his executive order.
“Americans deserve to see our exciting Inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations,” Trump said.
Trump indicated that he would like the United States to take an ownership position in a joint venture with the social media company. He said the joint venture could be between the current owners, new owners, or both. The country would get a 50 percent stake in the joint venture “set up between the U.S. and whichever purchase we so choose.”
“By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands, and allow it to stay up,” Trump stated. “Without U.S. approval, there is no TikTok. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars—maybe trillions.”
The law banning TikTok absent an approved sale gives the sitting president authority to grant the company a 90-day extension if a viable sale is in the works. Multiple investors have made offers, but ByteDance previously indicated it would not sell.
Congress passed a law requiring ByteDance to cut ties with TikTok’s U.S. operations by Jan. 19 absent an approved sale to a new parent company. Lawmakers are concerned about the app’s connections to the Chinese Communist Party, citing national security risks. President Joe Biden quickly signed the bill into law after it passed with wide bipartisan support in April 2024. While TikTok and ByteDance sued, challenging the law for alleged First Amendment violations, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law on Jan. 17.
