US President Donald Trump has imposed a 75-day pause on executing a rule prohibiting TikTok in the US, as he considers collaborating with the app’s Chinese owner.
The presidential order postponed the execution of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which went into force on January 19 and prohibited TikTok distribution and updates in the United States.
Trump had vowed to act quickly to protect TikTok from the law, which was approved overwhelmingly by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden last year.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, Trump said he was seeking a 50-50 partnership between “the United States” and its Chinese owner ByteDance, though he did not provide details on how this could be achieved.
“I guess I have a warm spot for TikTok that I didn’t have originally,” the newly inaugurated Trump said as he signed the order, crediting the app for delivering him the youth vote in his election.
In his first stint in the White House, Trump had attempted to ban TikTok in the US on national security concerns.
The TikTok ban law was passed due to concerns that the Chinese government could exploit the app to spy on Americans or covertly influence US public opinion through data collection and content manipulation.
TikTok shut down in the United States late Saturday as the deadline approached, leaving millions of dismayed users barred from the app.
Trump then promised to issue an executive order as soon as he took office to delay the ban to allow time to “make a deal.”
