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By Andrew Stanton
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TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew thanked President-elect Donald Trump on Friday after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a law that would ban the popular social media platform if its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, does not sell it by Sunday.
Newsweek reached out to the Trump-Vance transition team for comment via email.
Why It Matters
TikTok has argued a ban would violate the First Amendment right to free speech, but the Supreme Court unanimously decided on Friday that the legislation, passed by Congress amid national security concerns, could stand.
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The potential ban would disrupt the creator economy for influencers and small businesses that have made a living by making content or building a customer base on TikTok.
Trump, who will be inaugurated Monday, has said he plans to save TikTok when he takes office. But it's unclear exactly how he may be able to circumvent the law, which was signed by President Joe Biden.
What To Know
Chew responded to the ruling in a TikTok video early Friday afternoon.
"I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States," he said. "This is a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship."
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TikTok is "grateful and pleased to have the support of a president who truly understands our platform," Chew said. He added that Trump has used TikTok to "express his own thoughts and perspectives" and generated "more than 60 billion views" on the platform.
"Rest assured, we will do everything in our power to ensure our platform thrives as an online home for limitless creativity and discovery, as well as a source of inspiration and joy for years to come," Chew said.
What Has Trump Said About TikTok?
Trump reacted to the Supreme Court's ruling in a Truth Social post on Friday.
"The Supreme Court decision was expected, and everyone must respect it. My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!" he wrote. He did not indicate what that "decision" might be.
Trump wanted to ban TikTok during his first term in office, citing concerns that the Chinese Communist Party could use it to collect data on U.S. citizens, but an order to do so was blocked by a judge. Trump has since changed his tune on the platform.
In November's election, Trump lost the youth vote by about 2 points to Vice President Kamala Harris, according to Associated Press exit polls. This is a stark improvement from 2020, but not the landslide Trump said he had.
What People Are Saying
The Supreme Court said in Friday's ruling: "Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address well-founded national security concerns about TikTok's data collection practices and its relationship with a foreign adversary."
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a Friday statement: "President Biden's position on TikTok has been clear for months, including since Congress sent a bill in overwhelming, bipartisan fashion to the president's desk: TikTok should remain available to Americans, but simply under American ownership or other ownership that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress in developing this law. Given the sheer fact of timing, this administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next administration, which takes office on Monday."
What Happens Next
The TikTok ban is likely to go into effect on Sunday. TikTok has indicated it plans to shut down its app for U.S. users when that ban goes into effect, and the app will be taken down from online app stores.
Update 1/17/25, 2:30 p.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information and background.
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