One day before his inauguration, president-elect Donald Trump pledged to issue a day one executive order intended to save TikTok, despite being a main proponent of a ban during his first term.
Posting to Truth Social on Jan. 19, Trump wrote that he was looking to “extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect” and foster a “deal to protect our national security,” suggesting that he intends to broker a joint venture that would result in an American company taking 50 percent ownership. He called on companies to “not let TikTok go dark” and said he could “confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order.”
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TikTok quickly responded, saying it was working to reinstate service following Trump’s statements. The app was up and running for existing users shortly after, although it still remains off U.S. app stores. “We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive,” wrote the platform on their official policy account on X.
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