- President Donald Trump has proposed that the U.S. government should own a 50 percent stake in TikTok's U.S. business to keep the app operational in the country.
- TikTok experienced a brief shutdown on Jan. 18 due to a new bipartisan law requiring the company to divest its U.S. operations or face a ban.
- Trump cited TikTok's "tremendous" audience, potential job losses and ability to help him reach young voters as reasons for wanting to save the app.
- This decision marks a significant shift from Trump's previous stance during his first term, where he aimed to ban TikTok through an executive order.
- In December, Trump expressed a "warm spot" for the app, noting its potential to help him connect with young voters in the 2024 election.
President Donald Trump has proposed that the U.S. government should own a 50 percent stake in TikTok's U.S. business in return for keeping the popular short-video app alive hours after a brief shutdown across the nation.
TikTok stopped working for its 170 million American users late Saturday, Jan. 18. The shutdown, which lasted for a few hours, was a result of the bipartisan law that went into effect the next day, which required TikTok to divest its U.S. operations or face a ban. (Related: Trump rescues TikTok, proposes 50% U.S. ownership to avert ban.)
"A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the United States. 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," a message that notified TikTok users shortly before the shutdown.
In line with this, Trump said during his inauguration on Jan. 19 that he would sign an executive order the next day to give TikTok the ability to operate in the U.S. without going into detail. He added that he would let the U.S. own 50 percent of TikTok as a joint venture with the company.
According to Trump, he decided to rescue TikTok because of its "tremendous" audience, citing job losses and its ability to help him reach young voters.
"We have no choice. We have to save a lot of jobs," Trump said. "We don't want to give our business to China. We don't want to give our business to other people. So I said, very simply, a joint venture. So if TikTok is worth nothing, zero without an approved, you know, you don't approve, they're out of business. I'll approve, but let the United States of America own 50 percent of TikTok. We're going to have a lot of bidders. The United States will do what we call a joint venture."
Trump reverses TikTok stance on second administration
Trump's decision marks a significant shift from his stance during his first term as president.
In 2020, Trump issued an executive order banning U.S. transactions with TikTok and WeChat, two of the most popular Chinese-owned social media platforms. The executive order stated that both TikTok and WeChat "capture vast swaths of information from its users," threatening to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans' personal and proprietary information. The order also noted that reports indicate TikTok censors content deemed politically sensitive, such as protests in Hong Kong and China's treatment of the Uighurs, a Muslim minority.
At the time, the Trump administration had already taken steps to delist Chinese firms from U.S. stock markets unless they provided regulators with access to their audited accounts.
But he changed his tune during the campaign last year, noting the app's potential to help him connect with young voters. He also hinted in a Jan. 17 post on Truth Social that he is open to give TikTok a chance.
"The Supreme Court decision was expected and everyone must respect it. My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned," he wrote.
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President Donald Trump pledges to take a look at the looming TikTok ban. Watch this video.
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