TikTok’s fate in the U.S. is hanging on by a thread. After months of legal battles, the United States Supreme Court has ruled that the law that will force a U.S. ban on the app is constitutional, leaving TikTok with just two days to find an American buyer before it’s no longer legally allowed in the country. Suffice it to say, time’s a-tickin’, and TikTok fans are biting their nails as the countdown continues.
If you need a quick TLDR: The ban centers around U.S. lawmakers’ concerns that TikTok’s parent company, the Chinese-owned ByteDance, is able to share U.S. user data with the Chinese government, sparking major concerns over national security. Despite ByteDance’s repeated denials of data sharing, as well as its efforts to safeguard user information, the powers that be in the U.S. government have remained skeptical, leading to a hard deadline (which has now been deemed constitutional by SCOTUS): Sell by Jan. 19, or the app goes dark.Â
But closing a deal for one of the world’s most popular platforms in 48 hours? Practically impossible. As of Jan. 17, one of the leading hopes for those interested in saving TikTok is that a president will intervene.
President Biden has already made it clear that he’s stepping aside on this issue, leaving the responsibility to President-elect Donald Trump, who will take office on Jan. 20, one day after the ban is set to go into effect. “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,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said about the TikTok ban in a statement following SCOTUS’s ruling on Jan. 17.
Really hope trump saves tiktok man, just the thought of watching a youtube short pains me
— vinnie (@truly_vinnie) January 13, 2025
While Trump has a complicated history with TikTok, he’s recently expressed interest in preventing the app’s shutdown. So, with the clock ticking, what could Trump realistically do to save TikTok? Here’s a closer look at his options.
Delay the Ban with Prosecutorial Discretion
One option Trump has is to let the ban take effect, but direct the Justice Department to deprioritize enforcing the ban for now. This option is a bit of a stretch, TBH, as it is basically the president saying to ignore a law, but it would give TikTok some time to find a solution — basically hitting snooze on the app’s sell-by deadline.
Push Congress to Pass Another Bill Delaying The Deadline
Trump also could work with Congress to pass a new bill that gives TikTok 270 more days to find a buyer. It’s a way to keep TikTok going while still upholding the law and pushing for the sale.Â
Drop an Executive Order
Trump could exercise his presidential privileges and sign an executive order to preserve TikTok, saying it’s important for national security (which would go directly against what SCOTUS ruled, but strange things happen in the U.S. government all the time, I guess). This would also give app stores the green light they need to keep offering TikTok without breaking any rules. It’s a bold move that would be met with some pushback, for sure, but what else do you expect from Trump?
Whether Trump decides to take any of these actions, try something different, or do absolutely nothing and let the ban take effect remains to be seen.