Trump Considers Saving TikTok... "Contemplating Administrative Order to Delay Ban"

Democrats Also Push to Extend TikTok Sale Deadline

The atmosphere surrounding the Chinese short-form video platform TikTok, which is facing the risk of service suspension in the United States, is changing. The incoming second term of the Donald Trump administration is stepping in as a savior, increasing the possibility of rescue.

On the 16th (local time), Mike Waltz, a member of the House of Representatives nominated as the National Security Advisor for the Trump administration, stated in an interview with Fox News that President-elect Trump is considering an executive order to prevent the ban on TikTok.

Reuters Yonhap News

Representative Waltz said, "We will take measures to prevent TikTok from being shut down," referring to the TikTok ban law provision that allows a 90-day extension if there is progress in the sale (the law forcing TikTok’s U.S. business rights to be sold). He explained, "This is to buy time for President Trump to continue operating TikTok."

Caroline Libby, spokesperson for the Trump transition team, stated, "President-elect Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to save TikTok."

The TikTok ban law, passed by the U.S. Congress in April last year, stipulates that if ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company in China, does not sell TikTok’s U.S. business rights to an American company, new downloads of TikTok will be banned starting from the 19th. At the time, the bill was passed amid bipartisan consensus that China could collect sensitive information from Americans or influence public opinion through TikTok. TikTok has filed an injunction with the Supreme Court to suspend the enforcement of the law. It is also known to plan a complete suspension of its U.S. service starting from the 19th when the law takes effect.

According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), advisors to President-elect Trump have begun legal reviews to find ways to delay the TikTok ban by about 60 to 90 days.

WSJ explained that under the law, the Joe Biden administration can extend the TikTok sale deadline by 90 days, and after this period, if the Trump administration determines through inter-agency procedures that TikTok is no longer controlled by China, the ban can be lifted. If neither the Supreme Court nor the Biden administration intervenes, TikTok’s service will be suspended, but if President-elect Trump issues an executive order immediately after his inauguration on the 20th and arrival at the White House, the service suspension could be temporary.

However, according to Bloomberg News, a government official said that the TikTok ban law allows for an extension if there is progress in the sale, but the Biden administration has not received any sale proposals and therefore does not have the authority to delay the ban period.

The Democratic Party seems to support TikTok finding a U.S. business buyer but also extending the sale deadline. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on the same day, "There are too many security risks with TikTok to ignore," but also stated, "It is clear that more time is needed to find an American buyer and to avoid disrupting the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans." Senator Schumer strongly supported the forced sale bill for TikTok when it passed last April. However, due to concerns about the impact and repercussions of TikTok’s shutdown, he has stepped back and expressed willingness to cooperate with the Republicans.

Facing imminent service suspension, TikTok is pinning its hopes on the Trump administration. The New York Times (NYT) reported that TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to attend President-elect Trump’s inauguration on the 20th.

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