"Help Me, Trump"... TikTok CEO Rushed to Mar-a-Lago

Trump "Warm feelings toward TikTok"... Hint at rescue?
TikTok files injunction to delay expulsion

Donald Trump, the President-elect of the United States, and Shou Zi Chew, CEO of TikTok, are reported by US CNN and NBC on the 16th (local time) to hold a private meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida. This comes as they seek ways to mitigate the impact ahead of the so-called 'TikTok Ban Act' set to take effect on January 19 next year.

According to CNN, CEO Chew has been trying to meet Trump since the President-elect won the election. He was also spotted near Mar-a-Lago earlier this month. However, this is the first time they have actually met.

TikTok logo (left) and Donald Trump, President-elect of the United States. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

The reason CEO Chew rushed to Mar-a-Lago appears to be to request relief ahead of the enforcement of the TikTok Ban Act (a law aimed at protecting Americans from applications controlled by hostile countries), which will take effect on January 19, the day before Trump’s inauguration.

At a press conference that morning, Trump said, "I have warm feelings toward TikTok," and mentioned that there is an analysis suggesting his high vote share among young people in the election is related to TikTok.

When asked if he would try to prevent TikTok from being expelled from the US after his inauguration, he replied, "I will look into it."

During his first term, Trump tried to ban TikTok, but in this election, he opposed the TikTok Ban Act while positioning himself against President Joe Biden. He also actively used TikTok during his campaign.

According to CBS and CNN, TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance filed an emergency injunction with the US Supreme Court on the same day, requesting a suspension of the law. The hope is that if the enforcement of the TikTok Ban Act, which takes effect on January 19, is delayed, the incoming Trump administration on January 20 might provide relief measures.

TikTok had previously filed an injunction to delay enforcement until the Supreme Court ruled on the constitutionality of the law, but the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit dismissed it on the 13th.

The TikTok Ban Act, passed by the US Congress in early April with bipartisan support, essentially requires ByteDance to sell TikTok’s US operations or cease service in the US. The background to the bill’s passage includes national security concerns that the Chinese Communist Party could interfere in US elections and public opinion through the Chinese-owned TikTok.

On the same day, TikTok stated, "The most popular communication platform in the US will shut down the day before the presidential inauguration," adding, "As a result, many Americans who use this platform to communicate about politics, commerce, arts, and other public interests will be silenced." TikTok also argued that banning the app would cause small businesses and creators who use the app to lose income.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.