After a tumultuous year filled with anxiety and a legal battle about its future in the U.S., TikTok may have just been thrown a lifeline by the man who was once its biggest foe: Donald Trump.
President-elect Trump, who tried to ban the social media platform the last time he was in the White House, has repeatedly pledged during his most recent campaign to oppose a ban on the short-form video app, which could happen as soon as mid-January if the company loses a court case that’s currently underway in Washington.
For months, TikTok, and its China-based parent company ByteDance, have been embroiled in a legal battle with the U.S. over a federal law that forces them to cut ties for national security reasons or stop operating in one of their biggest markets in the world. The measure, signed by President Joe Biden in April, gives ByteDance nine months to divest its stakes, with a possible three-month extension if a sale was in progress. If that happens, the deadline could be extended into the first 100 days of Trump’s presidency.
The companies have claimed that divestiture is not possible, and the law, if upheld, would force them to shut down by Jan. 19, just a day before Trump’s second inauguration. Attorneys for both sides have asked a federal appeals court reviewing the case to issue a ruling by Dec. 6. The losing side is expected to appeal to the Supreme Court, which has a conservative majority and could decide to take up the case, potentially dragging out the process even longer.
When reached for comment, the Trump transition team did not offer details on how Trump plans to carry out his pledge to “save TikTok,” as he said on a Truth Social post in September while encouraging people who care about the platform to vote for him. But Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the transition team, indicated in a statement that he plans to see it through.
“The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail,” Leavitt said. “He will deliver.”
During a March interview with CNBC, Trump said he still believed TikTok posed a national security risk but opposed banning it because doing so would help its rival, Facebook, which he has continued to lambast over his 2020 election loss. He also denied changing his mind on the issue because of Republican megadonor Jeff Yass, a ByteDance investor that Trump, at the time, said that he had only met “very briefly.” He said Yass “never mentioned TikTok” during their meeting.
Still, ByteDance – and groups connected to Yass – have been attempting to exert their influence. Lobbying disclosure reports show that this year, ByteDance paid veteran lobbyist and former Trump campaign aide David Urban $150,000 to lobby lawmakers in Washington in favor of TikTok. The company has also spent more than $8 million on in-house lobbyists and another $1.4 million on other lobbying firms, according to Open Secrets.
Meanwhile, in March, Politico reported Kellyanne Conway, a former senior Trump aide, was being paid by the Yass-funded conservative group Club for Growth to advocate for TikTok in Congress. A spokesperson for the organization said Conway was hired as a consultant to conduct polling. Conway and Urban did not respond to requests for comment. TikTok, which has long denied it’s a national security risk, declined to comment.
If the courts uphold the law, it would fall on Trump’s Justice Department to enforce it and punish any potential violations with fines. The fines would apply to app stores that would be prohibited from offering TikTok, and internet hosting services who would be barred from supporting it. Leah Plunkett, a lecturer at Harvard Law School, said from her reading of the statute, the attorney general has to investigate violations but can decide whether or not to drag such companies to court and force them to comply.
Trump could do other things to prevent TikTok from disappearing.
He could issue an executive order to nullify the ban — which Plunkett believes would not be lawful — or urge Congress to repeal the law. That would require support from Congressional Republicans who have aligned themselves with Trump but have also supported the prospects of getting TikTok out of the hands of a Chinese company.
In a statement sent to the AP after the election, Republican Rep. John Moolenaar of Michigan, chairman of the House Select Committee on China, said Trump’s “long-standing concerns” about TikTok align with the law’s requirement for divestment.
“The Trump Administration will have a unique opportunity to broker an American takeover of the platform,” he said.
ByteDance, though, has previously said it has no intention to sell the platform despite interest from some investors, including Trump’s former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Analysts say the company is even less likely to sell the proprietary algorithm that fuels what users see on the app. That means even if TikTok is sold to a qualified buyer, it is likely to be a shell of its current self and would need to be rebuilt with new technology.
Sarah Kreps, director of Cornell University’s Tech Policy Institute, said it’s also possible that Trump could take the issue back to the drawing board and direct his administration to negotiate a new deal with TikTok.
TikTok said in 2022, it presented the Biden administration with a draft agreement that would bolster protections for users and provide it more oversight over the company’s U.S. operations. But the administration has argued in court documents in recent months that it would be challenging to enforce the agreement due to the size and the technical complexity of the platform.
Trump hasn’t been privy to new intelligence material on the matter for a few years and it's possible he could change his mind - and abandon his campaign promise - once he does, Kreps said.
Plunkett, the Harvard Law faculty and author of “Sharenthood: Why We Should Think before We Talk about Our Kids Online,” said if she were counseling TikTok, she would advise them to come up with a divesture plan that is compliant with the law and as favorable to them as possible.
“There is too much uncertainty about what a Trump administration is likely to do,” she said.
Trump has promised to 'save TikTok'. What happens next is less clear
FILE - The icon for the video sharing TikTok app is seen on a smartphone, Feb. 28, 2023, in Marple Township, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)
Trump has promised to 'save TikTok'. What happens next is less clear
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jayden Daniels’ nascent NFL career is all of 10 games old, yet the Washington QB responsible for the instant reshaping of the Commanders into a respectable franchise, and, finally, winners, already knows when a big game is on the schedule.
“I think people just know it’s Philly week,” Daniels said.
Oh yes, Commanders-Eagles, as serious as it gets this time of the NFL season. As a bonus, for the first time in nearly three decades, the outcome truly matters for either team.
Daniels has the Commanders (7-3) on the precipice of their biggest regular-season game in the series against the NFC East rival Eagles (7-2) in decades.
Hyperbole?
Not a chance. Washington and Philadelphia meet — not only with the division lead at stake — but with both teams at least four games over .500 entering the game for the first time since 1996.
Terry Allen and Ricky Watters. Koy Detmer and Gus Frerotte. Norv Turner and Ray Rhodes.
Names forgotten to the history books until this week when every piece of the series rivalry has been resurrected as part of the anticipation for the prime-time showdown at Lincoln Financial Field. The only drawback to the game is that the short week — the Eagles won at Dallas and the Commanders lost to the Steelers on Sunday — has robbed the rivalry of a few extra days of hype.
Behind QB Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley — who ranks second in the NFL with an average of 110.1 yards per contest while Washington is 28th in the league defensively against the run, allowing 142.7 yards per contest — the Eagles are riding a five-game winning streak; the Commanders have won three of four games.
The Eagles are 3 1/2-point favorites, per BetMGM Sportsbook.
“I’m excited just to go to Philly and that type of atmosphere,” Daniels said. "Heard they got very passionate fans, so man, I can’t wait. I can’t wait to go out there and see that fan base, and just experience that. And I know it’s going to be a great venue, a great site, and we’ll just go out there and see what happens.”
Led by Daniels, the Washington offense keeps putting up points, week in, week out, even against stingy opponents like Pittsburgh, which entered Sunday allowing just 14.9 per game. The QB is building a strong connection with receiver Terry McLaurin, who topped 100 yards receiving for the fourth time in the past eight games, accumulating 113 on five catches.
The Eagles, who have won by 20-plus points in three of their last four games, understand the challenge Daniels presents.
“A really good player who started off on fire, so we’ll have a challenge here this week,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “You know how he’s going to the right place with the football, being accurate, the things he can do when things do break down.”
With a win, Washington would move to 8-3, its best record through 11 games since, yup, 1996.
“Taking our show on the road to go up and have another division battle, Thursday night in November, like come on, what are we talking about?" Commanders coach Dan Quinn said.
While the Eagles had the earliest bye in the NFL in Week 5, the Commanders have the latest in Week 14, and the injuries are piling up after a relatively healthy start to the season. Running back Brian Robinson Jr. (hamstring) missed the past two games, and right tackle Andrew Wylie (shoulder) and kicker Austin Seibert (right hip) were out against Pittsburgh.
The short turnaround doesn’t help those matters, but Quinn is trying to turn it into a positive.
“This is a really tough-minded group, and so if you told them it was going to be on a Wednesday, they’d be down for it,” Quinn said. “Short weeks, it’s hard, but it also favors guys who are like, ‘Hey man, I’m down for the fight and I’ll be ready and whatever it takes’ kind of attitude. And we got a lot of those kind of guys with a big giant-sized chip on their shoulder.”
Daniels ran just three times for 5 yards in Washington’s 28-27 home loss to the Steelers, by far the rookie quarterback’s fewest carries and smallest impact on the ground this season. The No. 2 draft pick out of LSU has been playing through sore ribs for several weeks and credited Pittsburgh’s defense for shutting down rushing lanes, and Philadelphia’s second-ranked unit presents another challenge.
“Every game is different,” said Daniels, who has completed 56.4% of his passes the last three games after 75.6% in his first seven. “It just depends on the coordinator. Just going out there and just kind of adjusting to what I see and what they’re doing.”
AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno in Washington contributed to this report.
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Washington Commanders place-kicker Zane Gonzalez, right, celebrates his 41-yard field goal during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Philadelphia Eagles' Cooper DeJean (33) and Jalyx Hunt (58) celebrate a long punt return by DeJean in the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (22) is stopped by Washington Commanders safety Quan Martin (20) and teamates during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Philadelphia Eagles' Jalen Hurts prepares to throw a pass in the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter)
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren (30) is tackled by the Washington Commanders defense during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Philadelphia Eagles' Fred Johnson, left, and Lane Johnson, rear, celebrate with Jalen Hurts, center, after Hurts ran for a touchdown as Dallas Cowboys' Trevon Diggs (7) and Micah Parsons (11) look on in the second half of an NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter)
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is pressured by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
A fan dressed in a Santa Claus costume, celebrates with a Philadelphia Eagles fan as a Dallas Cowboys fan, sitting bottom right, and others watch play in the second half of an NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels speaks to the media after an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Philadelphia Eagles' Jalen Hurts, left, and Saquon Barkley (26) celebrate after Hurts ran the ball for a touchdown in the second half of an NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
