TikTok was officially banned in the United States last Friday, with the app being removed from app stores and inaccessible for a brief 13-hour period. However, following the transition from President Joe Biden to President Donald Trump, the new administration has decided to pause the ban.
As one of his first actions in office, President Trump issued an executive order on January 20, 2025, directing the US attorney general to delay the enforcement of the TikTok ban for 75 days. This unexpected move signals a shift in the government’s approach to the popular app.
This means that ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, now has until April 5, 2025, to sell its stake in TikTok to a US-based company. The new executive order delays the enforcement of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, giving ByteDance more time to work on a solution.
The order directs the US attorney general and the Department of Justice to hold off on any action while they focus on finding a way to protect national security. The goal is to safeguard TikTok, a platform used by 170 million Americans, without jeopardizing its continued operation.
This timing also interferes with my ability to negotiate a resolution to avoid an abrupt shutdown of the TikTok platform while addressing national security concerns.
Accordingly, I am instructing the Attorney General not to take any action to enforce the Act for a period of 75 days from today to allow my Administration an opportunity to determine the appropriate course forward in an orderly way that protects national security while avoiding an abrupt shutdown of a communications platform used by millions of Americans.
– President Donald Trump
Donald Trump has suggested a joint venture between ByteDance and the US government, where the government would own 50% of TikTok. While it’s still unclear how this will unfold, for now, TikTok will continue operating as usual in the US. The next two and a half months will be critical in determining the platform’s future.
