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By Theo Burman
Live News Reporter
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President Donald Trump has indicated that he might not save TikTok after all, after calling the social media site "worthless" on his first day back in the White House.
Trump had previously pledged to rescue TikTok from the nationwide ban enforced by the Supreme Court, which was launched over fears the site's Chinese owner ByteDance would be able to use American data to compromise national security.
Newsweek contacted the White House for more information on Trump's approach to TikTok via email.
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Why It Matters
In the lead-up to Trump's return to the Oval Office, he repeatedly said that he would "save" TikTok from the ban, which was originally conceived of during his first administration. The change in tone on Monday represents a harsher approach to the social media site, which had previously praised Trump for starting the "process of restoring service."
What To Know
TikTok's ban went into effect on January 19, after the company failed to convince the Supreme Court that the restrictions would be a violation of the Constitution.
The day after, Trump was sworn in as the next president, with Joe Biden leaving the decision on whether to enforce the ban up to Trump.
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Previously, Trump had touted his campaign's performance on TikTok, sharing a graphic of his engagement on the site during the election that revealed he received 36 billion views on the site in 2024. Trump added the caption: "Why would I want to get rid of TikTok?"
In January, Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, told Newsweek*:* "President Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to save TikTok, and there's no better dealmaker than Donald Trump."
But Trump's latest comments appear to be less enthusiastic about preventing the ban, with the newly-sworn in president describing the site as "worthless."
When asked by reporters about the ban, Trump said: "I may not or may do the deal. TikTok is worthless, worthless, if I don't approve it. I learned that from the people that own it. If I don't do the deal it's worth nothing, If I do the deal it's worth a trillion dollars.
"I think the U.S. should get half of TikTok... I think we would have a joint venture. The U.S. should be entitled to get half of TikTok. But if the president doesn't sign, it's worthless. We'll see what happens."
What People Are Saying
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told NBC on Sunday: "When President Trump issued the Truth [Social] post and said, 'Save Tiktok,' the way we read that is that he's going to try to force along a true divestiture, changing of hands, the ownership... It's not the platform that members of Congress are concerned about.
"It's the Chinese Communist Party and their manipulation of the algorithms—they have been flooding the minds of American children with terrible messages glorifying violence and anti-Semitism and even suicide and eating disorders."
What Happens Next
Trump will make a decision on the TikTok ban in the coming days, but the ban will remain law until then. However, TikTok is still accessible in several parts of the U.S.
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