Throughout their final week in workplace, the Biden administration is stepping away from the controversial TikTok ban. As an alternative, President Joe Biden has elected to focus his efforts on different issues, like granting clemency for nearly 2,500 non-violent drug offenders. This implies the app’s future can be within the arms of President-elect Donald Trump, who will develop into the forty seventh president on Monday (January 20).
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President Joe Biden Received’t Implement TikTok Ban
Regardless of the corporate’s finest efforts to cease the ban, TikTok’s deadline to promote their app is about for the day earlier than Trump’s inauguration. Final 12 months, Biden signed a Congress-backed regulation that required TikTok’s China-based father or mother firm, ByteDance, to divest the corporate by Jan. 19. It seems the corporate may not take that route. So, this seemingly means the ban will begin throughout Biden’s final day within the White Home.
Nonetheless, a U.S. official confirmed on Thursday that Biden received’t be implementing the ban. In keeping with AP, the official spoke on situation of anonymity to debate inner Biden administration pondering.
What Trump’s Workforce Has Stated About The Ban
Trump, who as soon as known as to ban the app, has since pledged to maintain it obtainable within the U.S. Nevertheless, his transition group has not mentioned how they intend to perform that.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is anticipated to attend Trump’s inauguration and be granted a chief seating location. In the meantime, the president-elect’s nationwide safety adviser has recommended the Trump administration could take steps to “maintain TikTok from going darkish.”
Individually on Wednesday, Pam Bondi, Trump’s decide for lawyer basic, dodged a query throughout a Senate listening to on whether or not she’d uphold a TikTok ban.
Quickly-to-be nationwide safety adviser Mike Waltz spoke in regards to the potential ban on Wednesday as effectively.
“If the Supreme Courtroom comes out with a ruling in favor of the regulation, President Trump has been very clear: Primary, TikTok is a good platform that many People use and has been nice for his marketing campaign and getting his message out. However quantity two, he’s going to guard their knowledge,” Waltz mentioned. “He’s a deal maker. I don’t wish to get forward of our government orders, however we’re going to create this house to place that deal in place.”
Waltz additionally talked about the ban whereas talking on Fox Information Channel’s ‘Fox & Associates’ on Thursday. Walz identified that the federal regulation banning TikTok additionally “permits for an extension so long as a viable deal is on the desk.”
Donald Trump has reversed his place on the favored app after attempting to ban it throughout his first time period in workplace. He joined TikTok throughout his 2024 presidential marketing campaign. His group used it to attach with youthful voters, particularly male voters, by pushing content material that was usually macho and aimed toward going viral. He pledged to “save TikTok” through the marketing campaign and has credited the platform with serving to him win extra youth votes.
The place Do U.S. Leaders Stand On The TikTok Ban?
The push to save lots of TikTok, very like the transfer to ban it within the U.S., has crossed partisan strains. Senate Democratic Chief Chuck Schumer mentioned he spoke with Joe Biden on Thursday to advocate for extending the deadline to ban TikTok.
“It’s clear that extra time is required to seek out an American purchaser and never disrupt the lives and livelihoods of tens of millions of People, of so many influencers who’ve constructed up a great community of followers,” Schumer mentioned Thursday on the Senate flooring.
Democrats had tried on Wednesday to cross laws that may have prolonged the deadline, however Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas blocked it. Cotton, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, mentioned that TikTok had ample time to discover a purchaser.
“TikTok is a Chinese language Communist spy app that addicts our youngsters, harvests their knowledge, targets them with dangerous and manipulative content material, and spreads communist propaganda,” Cotton mentioned.
Final week, the Supreme Courtroom heard oral arguments in a authorized problem to the statute introduced by TikTok, its China-based father or mother firm ByteDance, and customers of the app. The Justices appeared prone to uphold the regulation, which requires ByteDance to promote TikTok on nationwide safety grounds or face a ban in one in every of its greatest markets.
Whereas social media has been name-dropping superstar consumers, corresponding to YouTuber Mr. Beast, ByteDance has not confirmed any sale procedures.
Unironically I’ve had so many billionaires attain out to me since I tweeted this, let’s see if we will pull this off 🙌🏻
— MrBeast (@MrBeast) January 14, 2025
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Related Press writers Zeke Miller, Josh Boak, Michelle L. Worth, and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.
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