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U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking to delay the ban of Tik Tok by 75 days on January 20, 2025. /VCG
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order seeking to delay by 75 days the enforcement of a ban of popular short-video app TikTok that was slated to be shuttered on January 19.
The order was signed immediately after he was inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States.
While signing the order, Trump suggested the United States government should be a half owner of TikTok's U.S. business in return for keeping the app alive and warned that he could impose tariffs on China. In response, China's Foreign Ministry said on Monday companies should "decide independently" on matters of their operations and deals.
ByteDance has not yet issued an official statement nor replied to CGTN's request regarding the executive order or the ongoing negotiations.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew attended Trump's inauguration on Monday along with many other tech CEOs in prime seats. While his presence underscores TikTok's interest in engaging with the new administration, there have been no confirmed reports of discussions between Chew and Trump regarding the app's future during the event.
Timeline in "tick-tock"
The drama began Saturday when the short video app used by 170 million Americans was taken offline for users shortly before a law that said it must be sold by its Chinese owner ByteDance on national security grounds, or be banned, took effect on Sunday.
The next day Trump said he had plans to "save TikTok." Within hours, the company began restoring its services in the U.S. The app and website were operational on Monday, but TikTok is still not available for download in the Apple or Google app stores.
Trump's order, signed hours after he was inaugurated on Monday, mirrors his earlier promises and directs the attorney general to not enforce the law to give his team time "to determine the appropriate course of action with respect to TikTok."
But the legality of Trump's executive order is unclear. The law requiring the divestiture was passed by big majorities in Congress, signed by President Joe Biden, and upheld by a unanimous Supreme Court.
The law also does not grant Trump authority to extend the deadline unless ByteDance has "binding agreements" to sell TikTok, and it is unclear if any agreements exist.
The order directs the Justice Department to issue letters to companies like Apple, Alphabet's Google, and Oracle that supply services to TikTok "stating that there has been no violation of the statute and that there is no liability for any conduct that occurred during the above-specified period."
It is still unclear if Trump's order will be enough to convince Apple and Google to restore the app in the United States.
(With input from agencies)