In a significant development, U.S. President Donald Trump, immediately following his oath of office on January 20, signed an executive order aimed at pausing a law that bans the TikTok app, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. The executive order grants a 75-day extension on the ban or a potential sale of the platform. The order’s text states that this move will provide the Trump administration with time “to pursue a resolution that protects national security while saving a platform used by 170 million Americans.”
What Trump is now seeking is effectively a 50-50 partnership between the United States and ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, as implied in his post on Truth Social. Trump also issued a warning to Beijing, stating that if a deal is not struck “ensuring the platform operates under American oversight while retaining its economic value,” he would impose new trade tariffs on China.
Beijing, which had initially rejected the idea of selling the company, calling U.S. arguments against the app “sheer robber logic,” has now responded with a rather softer stance. On January 21, Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, stated, “When it comes to actions such as the operation and acquisition of businesses, we believe they should be independently decided by companies. If it involves Chinese companies, China’s laws and regulations should be observed.”
Despite Trump’s shift in position regarding the Chinese-owned app, several Republicans continue to push for a ban, citing national security concerns. The GOP remains at a crossroads with Trump, reflecting deep divisions within the Republican Party. Senators strongly argue that TikTok could be used by China as a tool for espionage and political manipulation.
Republican Senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Pete Ricketts of Nebraska have openly criticized President Trump’s proposal to extend the timeline for TikTok’s continued operation. The controversy began after TikTok was removed from app stores on the night of January 19, following the enactment of a law signed by President Biden, which made it a crime—punishable by hefty fines—for companies to support TikTok as long as it is controlled by ByteDance.
The ire of Republican senators flared after they issued a joint statement expressing solidarity in banning the social media platform. They raised concerns over President Trump’s lack of understanding of the legislation and warned that he might not be prepared for the strong resistance he will face from the Republican side, which insists that the “divest or ban” law must be followed. According to a report by Newsweek, the Senators asserted, “For TikTok to resume operations, ByteDance must fully divest its ownership and sever ties with Communist China. Only then can Americans be protected from the grave privacy and security threats posed by this platform.”
Senator Cotton took to Platform X to thank Amazon, Apple, and Google for halting TikTok operations, adding, “Any company that hosts, distributes, services, or otherwise facilitates communist-controlled TikTok could face hundreds of billions of dollars of ruinous liability under the law, not just from DOJ, but also under securities law, shareholder lawsuits, and state AGs. Think about it.” This comes as TikTok restored access to the platform, but none of the hosting providers have made the app available for download fearing the implications of the law.
The fate of TikTok remains uncertain, with no clear indication of whether the tech giant is interested in selling to a U.S. entity or any other buyer. It’s also unclear what the app’s future will look like after the 75-day window expires.
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