The drama surrounding the social media site TikTok continues to unfold.
Now that TikTok is back, fans can breathe and use their phones once more:
On Sunday, TikTok revealed that it was in the process of restoring operations in the U.S. after President-elect Trump promised to issue an executive order to extend TikTok’s operations on Inauguration Day.
Some U.S. users have been able to access their apps again after the blackout on Saturday.
TikTok is controversial because of national security concerns because it’s owned by ByteDance – a Chinese company. A federal ban was set for January 19.
In an online post made on Sunday, Trump called upon TikTok to continue its operation.
I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark! I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security. The order will also confirm that there will be no…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) January 19, 2025
Continued:
This is also a confirmation that any company which helped to prevent TikTok from going dark before my order, will not be held liable.
Americans deserve to have the opportunity to view our exciting Inauguration as well as other events and discussions.
The United States should have at least a 50% share in any joint venture. TikTok wouldn’t exist without their approval. TikTok would not even exist. With our approval, it is worth billions of dollars – or perhaps trillions.
My first thought was to form a joint venture between the U.S. and the existing owners or the new owners. The U.S. will get 50% of the joint venture.
He said on Friday that he spoke to Xi Jinping about TikTok and other topics.
I just spoke to Chairman Xi Jinping of China. The call was a very good one for both China and the U.S.A. It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately. We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects. President Xi…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) January 17, 2025
We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects. President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!
TikTok thanked the President-elect.
TikTok’s account on X dedicated to releasing policy updates posted a statement later Sunday saying: “In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service.”
In the statement, it said: “We are grateful to President Trump for providing clarity to our service providers and reassuring them that they will not face penalties if their TikTok offerings reach more than 170,000,000 Americans. This will allow over 7 million small businesses to flourish.”
Trump will not be inaugurated until Monday, but it already feels like he’s in charge.
