Trump wants US Supreme Court to delay TikTok ban until he’s sworn in

The clock is ticking for TikTok. With a looming January 19 deadline, the popular social media platform faces a tough choice: sell to an American company or face a nationwide ban in the United States. Now, incoming President Donald Trump is stepping into the fray, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to delay enforcement of the ban until after he takes office on January 20.

In a brief filed last Friday, Trump’s lawyers stated that the incoming president “opposes banning TikTok” and “seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office.”

A little background

This legal battle follows the decision by Biden-led Congress to ban the video-sharing app over national security concerns. Government officials argued that Chinese-based ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, could potentially share sensitive user data with the Chinese government or manipulate content for propaganda purposes.

On its end TikTok, which has over 170 million US users, said selling was not an option and appealed the ruling. The company argued there are more practical solutions than divestiture, including its partnership with Oracle to manage and store U.S. user data domestically.

After years of battling it out in court, a federal appeals court recently upheld the law mandating the app’s sale or ban. Unsatisfied with the decision, the social media giant has now turned to the US Supreme Court, which is set to deliver its ruling on January 10.

New lifeline

Most people were convinced the Supreme Court would also uphold the Congress ruling, but Trump’s legal maneuver has added a new layer of uncertainty to the ongoing saga.

If the Supreme Court grants his request, TikTok could gain a temporary reprieve, leaving the final decision on its fate to the next administration. But for now, the Biden administration remains firm in its stance, insisting that ByteDance’s ownership poses an unacceptable risk.

Trump’s endorsement of TikTok came as a surprise as he was the first to push for TikTok’s ban during his first term in office.