Headline: Trump Urges Delay of TikTok Ban Order; Hearing Set for January
Subhead: President’s legal team argues for more time to find a political solution to national security concerns.
US President Donald Trump’s legal team has asked the US Supreme Court to pause a law that would ban TikTok if its Chinese owner, ByteDance, doesn’t sell the popular social media app by January 19. The law is set to take effect just a day before Trump leaves office.
In a filing with the court, Trump’s legal team argued that the short timeline is unfair, given the complexity and novelty of the situation. They suggested that the court should grant more time to find a political solution to the national security concerns posed by TikTok’s Chinese ownership.
The law, passed by Congress and signed by President Biden in April, aims to protect American users from potential spying by the Chinese government. It also seeks tocounter alleged propaganda efforts on the platform. TikTok has strongly denied these claims.
The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for January 10 to consider TikTok’s request to halt the law’s implementation. However, it’s unclear when the court will issue its final decision.
Trump, during his presidency, also attempted to ban TikTok due to similar concerns. In 2020, he issued an executive order aimed at banning new transactions with the app’s Chinese owners. However, courts blocked the order, and in November 2020, Trump said he would reverse the ban if TikTok owners committed to a deal with a US company.
During his reelection campaign, Trump claimed he would "save" TikTok, and in late June 2021, he created his own account on the platform.
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