TikTok restores its activity in the United States in less than 24 hours after Trump’s intervention

Jane Anderson
Jane Anderson
Chica con la bandera de Estados Unidos se graba en un vídeo para TikTok

The prohibition of TikTok In the United States it has barely lasted 24 hours. The social network has restored its service in the country just a few hours after the beginning of the cessation of activity following comments made by donald trump and his commitment to issue an executive order to extend the deadline given to the company to sell its US business.

Trump has committed to issuing an executive order granting an extension to TikTok

I ask companies not to let TikTok go dark“, commented the President-elect on Sunday, January 19 on Truth Social, a few hours after TikTok stopped working in the country. “On Monday, I will issue an executive order to extend the time period before the law’s prohibitions go into effect, so we can reach an agreement to protect our national security. Americans deserve to see our exciting inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations”.

As noted, the order will establish that there will be no responsibility for any distribution company that has helped prevent TikTok from ceasing its activity. Trump’s goal is grant an extension to ByteDanceowner of the platform, before the law approved by Congress and endorsed by the Supreme Court that requires the sale of the social network to an American company or its ban.

Donald Trump. who is officially sworn in today, was one of the main promoters of the scrutiny on TikTok’s link with the Chinese government as a result of concerns about its impact on national security. However, the tycoon has modified his position and is now proposing a new solution.

I would like the United States to have a 50% stake in a joint venture. By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to continue operating“Trump noted. “Without US approval, there is no TikTok. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars, perhaps trillions”.

TikTok Express Ban

Donald Trump’s intervention has led to TikTok to restore its activity in the country throughout Sunday afternoon. “We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will not face sanctions for offering TikTok to more than 170 million Americans and allowing more than 7 million small businesses to thrive.“, the platform has pointed out through X. “It is a firm stance in favor of the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump to find a long-term solution that allows TikTok to remain in the United States”.

From Saturday night to Sunday afternoon, American users have encountered a message informing them about the ban on their activity. The Apple and Google digital stores removed the application from your catalogue. Lemon8, also owned by ByteDance and the main alternative to TikTok, also stopped working.
Many users in recent hours, especially creators who have turned content monetization into a way of life, have lamented the platform’s ban and have called for the social network’s early return.

They only had to wait a few hours, since TikTok has restored the service gradually, first in browsers and then in phone applications. He welcomed the Americans back with the following message: “Welcome back! Thank you for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the United States! You can continue creating, sharing and discovering all the things you love on TikTok“.

The future remains uncertain for TikTok

The law, which established a ban on TikTok on January 19 if ByteDance did not sell the platform to an American firm, allows the president to grant an extension of up to 100 days to find a buyer. Yet, The future of the social network is still up in the air, since an important part of Republicans are in favor of enforcing the law, despite Trump’s comments and proposals.

Additionally, ByteDance is still required by law to sell TikTok to a non-Chinese owner, something the parent company has shown no interest in. However, as indicated in the social network’s statement, it has committed to working with the president on a long term solution that keeps TikTok in the country.

Although Trump has proposed a 50-50 joint venture between the current owners and an American company, the law establishes a 20% limit for foreign owners. In this sense, there are currently two possible solutions to keep TikTok in the country: modify the law or force its sale.

Over the past few weeks, several names have been floated as possible buyers of TikTok. The strongest proposal is that of the billionaire Frank McCourt and its popular offer, supported by a consortium around Project Liberty and which also includes Kevin O’Leary, investor and star of the television show “Shark Tank”.

The possibility that TikTok ends up in the hands of the artificial intelligence platform has also been considered. Perplexity; of the streaming service Kick; of Bobby Kotick, former CEO of the video game development company Activision Blizzard; or even Elon Muskcurrent owner of X -formerly Twitter-.