As reported by Reuters, President-elect Donald Trump has said the US needs to "start thinking" about keeping TikTok "around for a while," in the strongest show of support so far for the Chinese social media platform. TikTok is currently facing an uphill battle against a new law signed by the Biden administration that will see it banned in the US starting in January.
TikTok's appeal against a new US law that would take effect in January fell through earlier this month after a federal appeals court rejected its plea to delay the ban. It filed an emergency injunction seeking a delay until the Trump administration could take office and the Supreme Court could listen to the case.
The Supreme Court agreed but said it would not block the law from coming into effect on January 19, 2025. The law - Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act - classifies TikTok as a threat to National Security. Under its terms, TikTok must sell itself to a new owner in the US or face a ban in the country.
"We're going to have to start thinking because, you know, we did go on TikTok, and we had a great response with billions of views, billions and billions of views," Trump addressed the crowd at AmericaFest. "They brought me a chart, and it was a record, and it was so beautiful to see, and as I looked at it, I said, 'Maybe we gotta keep this sucker around for a little while'," he added.