WASHINGTON ― President Joe Biden will not enforce a ban on TikTok that is set to take effect Sunday, his final full day in office, leaving the fate of the wildly popular social media app to the incoming Trump administration.
The decision not to enforce the sell-or-ban TikTok law, confirmed by the White House, comes as President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president Monday to replace the outgoing Biden.
“TikTok should remain available to Americans, but simply under American ownership or other ownership that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress in developing this law,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a written statement.
“Given the sheer fact of timing, this Administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration, which takes office on Monday.”
More:Supreme Court upholds law that could ban TikTok in the U.S., leaving the matter to Trump
Under the TikTok ban that Biden signed in April ‒ which the Supreme Court upheld in a decision Friday ‒ the social media app faces a ban from operating in the U.S. if Beijing-based parent company ByteDance does not sell off its U.S. assets by Sunday. The ban would make it illegal to distribute TikTok through the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Trump, who has committed to “save TikTok,” is considering an executive order that would suspend the ban from going into effect for 60 to 90 days, the Washington Post and CNN reported.
The Biden administration has cited national security concerns with TikTok, which many in Washington fear the Chinese government could exploit to gain access to private user data or spread misinformation.
Trump, in a social media post , said he spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday and discussed a range of issues including TikTok.
“It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately,” Trump said.
After the Supreme Court’s decision, Trump told CNN: “It ultimately goes up to me, so you’re going to see what I’m going to do,.”
Asked in the same interview whether he would take measures to try and reverse the pending ban, Trump said he’ll “be making the decision.” He added, “Congress has given me the decision, so I’ll be making the decision.”
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew plans to attend Trump’s inauguration at the invitation of the president-elect.
Trump was able to use TikTok effectively during the 2024 presidential campaign in his appeal to young voters. The video app has about 170 million American users.
Although Trump now wants to keep TikTok operating, he tried to ban TikTok through executive order in 2020 during his first term.
