U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to sign an executive order on his first day in office to allow TikTok to continue operating in the U.S. temporarily.
Trump, who is set to be inaugurated as the 46th U.S. president on Monday, also hinted at the possibility of the U.S. government taking partial ownership of the social media platform.
TikTok shut down its U.S. operations on Saturday night ahead of an imminent ban imposed by the country’s lawmakers, who raised national security concerns over its Chinese connection.
The Supreme Court, on January 17, upheld legislation that will ban TikTok in the country unless its China-based parent company, ByteDance, sells ownership of the platform by January 19 to a U.S. citizen.
The law, which officially took effect on Sunday, saw the cutting off of 170 million TikTok users in the country.
In a post on Sunday on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he would “not let TikTok stay dark,” stating that he would intervene and bring the platform back into operation after taking office Monday.
“I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period before the law’s prohibitions take effect so that we can make a deal to protect our national security,” Trump wrote in the post.
“The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order,” he added.
Trump proposed the U.S. could take a “50% ownership position” in TikTok as part of a “joint venture,” suggesting a “set up between the U.S. and whichever purchase we so choose.”
“By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to stand up. Without U.S. approval, there is no TikTok. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars—maybe trillions,” Trump stated.
ByteDance has so far resisted calls to sell TikTok’s US operations, effecting an immediate blackout rather than allowing continued access for existing users. Users in the U.S. who attempted to access the platform encountered a message explaining the federally mandated ban and offering instructions on downloading personal data.
“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned,” a message notified users of TikTok, which disappeared from Apple (AAPL.O), opened new tabs and Google app stores late on Saturday.
ByteDance’s other apps, such as CapCut and Lemon8, were also removed. While some users reported intermittent access, most encountered a shutdown notice both on the app and its web platform.
The Chinese government criticised the ban, accusing the U.S. of unfairly targeting TikTok.
A spokesperson from China’s Washington embassy said, “China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.”
The shutdown of TikTok, which is unprecedented in the U.S., has left users and businesses scrambling.
Many young Americans turned to alternative platforms like RedNote, while companies reliant on TikTok for marketing have quickly started making other plans, according to Reuters.
The ban has also boosted rival platforms. Meta and Snap shares surged as investors anticipated an influx of users and advertisers.