Now Trump’s in office, he wants to save TikTok

The social media app TikTok’s currently banned in the USA, as ruled by the US Supreme Court in the last instance. Here’s what happened: the parent company of TikTok’s based in China. This means the social media platform’s subjected to a certain degree of control by the Chinese government. There have been allegations that the app was used to manipulate elections by spreading misinformation and propaganda. For this reason, the US Senate and the US House of Representatives agreed on a ban.

US version to be under US control

The US government has demanded that TikTok’s parent company Bytedance sell its American version of the app to a US company. This was stated as the basic requirement for the app to be permitted to continue offering its services. Neither the government nor the courts were buying TikTok’s claim to have a «Western ownership structure», meaning the majority of shares being in the hands of companies «in the West» – Caribbean countries, for example.

After TikTok took things all the way to federal court, the final decision was made on 19 January: no US ownership, no operation. Initially, the app was meant to be taken down from app stores to prevent new downloads. At the same time, some of the app’s features were meant to be gradually switched off. The aim of these measures was to make the app less attractive. What the US were hoping for in the medium term was that TikTok would be replaced by an American app. And sure enough, TikTop went on to switch off the app – at least in the US.

Late Saturday evening after the app was taken down, users who opened the app in the US were presented with the following message:

«A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!.»

Return of the app: Trump set to reverse ban

Shutting down the app one day before the deadline was presumably a calculated move to cause the biggest possible stir and put pressure on the new American government. After all, the US has around 170 million TikTok users, not to mention countless US companies that use the app for business and marketing purposes.

And so, the newly elected president was quick to jump on the bandwagon. In his inauguration speech, there was talk of potentially postponing the ban by a further 90 days by presidential decree. The aim being to give TikTok operator Bytedance enough time to find a new owner to run the platform in the US. Experts are currently challenging whether this is legally sound. As a rule, a grace period like this may only be granted if the company’s already in negotiations with a potential buyer and a postponement is key to completing the sale.

Musk on the horizon?

There have been speculations that the tech billionaire and Trump confidant Musk wants to buy the app. But to date, Bytedance has categorically ruled out selling the company, including selling to Musk. Assuming a postponement were possible, a sale to Musk would be a logical step, provided Bytedance are willing to sell.

For one thing, Musk has the necessary means. In addition, a purchase wouldn’t just be appealing from a financial perspective – it’d also increase his influence on public political discourse. Something he’s already been shaping since his purchase of Twitter/X. And last but not least, this would earn him the favour of the young US electorate and uphold his good relationship with the Chinese government. The latter’s likely to be essential to Musk, as numerous components of his Tesla vehicles are manufactured in China. Meanwhile, Trump’s come up with another idea. Namely, the state holdings in TikTok. In other words, that the USA should buy the app.

In any case, Bytedance resumed its service right after Trump’s announcement. The app’s currently also running again from the US, but still not available in the app stores.