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President-elect Donald Trump suggested on Sunday that he might support allowing TikTok to continue operating in the United States, at least at present. Speaking to a crowd of conservative supporters in Phoenix, Arizona, he highlighted the success his presidential campaign had on the platform, claiming it garnered billions of views.
His remarks were one of the clearest signs yet that he opposes any potential ban of TikTok in the US Earlier this year, the US Senate passed a law demanding that
ByteDance
, TikTok's Chinese parent company, divest the app due to national security concerns.
ByteDance has sought to block the law, and the US Supreme Court has agreed to review the case. If the court rules against ByteDance and no sale occurs, TikTok could face an effective ban on January 19, just one day before Trump takes office.
It remains unclear how Trump would address the divestiture order, which was passed overwhelmingly by the Senate.
Speaking at AmericaFest, an annual gathering organised by conservative group Turning Point, Trump told the crowd, "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.'"
Trump also met with TikTok's CEO on Monday and expressed his fondness for the app, attributing his campaign's success to its platform.
The US Justice Department has argued that TikTok's connection to China remains a significant national security risk, a position supported by many lawmakers. However, TikTok disputes these claims, stating that its user data and content recommendation engine are stored on US servers operated by Oracle, with content moderation decisions also made in the US.
