News EditorUS President-elect Donald Trump met with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Monday, as the popular social media platform fights efforts by US authorities to ban it.
The meeting, reported by CBS News, comes amid a looming deadline for TikTok, which faces a potential ban unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells the app before January 19. TikTok has filed an emergency application with the US Supreme Court, seeking to delay the ban and allow for a review by the incoming administration.
The US government’s push for a TikTok ban stems from concerns over alleged ties between ByteDance and the Chinese state, accusations which both TikTok and ByteDance have consistently denied. A law passed earlier this year mandates the sale or ban of apps like TikTok, which the bill claims pose a national security risk due to foreign adversary control.
Despite initially supporting such a ban during his first term, Trump has voiced opposition to the measure, partly due to his belief that it could benefit Facebook, a company he has accused of contributing to his loss in the 2020 election.
Trump, whose second term will begin on January 20—just one day after the law’s deadline—commented on TikTok at a press conference Monday, expressing a personal fondness for the app. “I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok, because I won youth by 34 points,” Trump said, referring to his support among young voters. He acknowledged that “TikTok had an impact” during the campaign.
In its filing to the Supreme Court, TikTok requested a “modest delay” in the enforcement of the ban, arguing that the ban would cause “immediate irreparable harm” to both the company and its users. TikTok also emphasized its role as “one of the most significant speech platforms” in the US.
Earlier this month, a federal appeals court rejected TikTok’s bid to have the ban overturned, siding with the government’s argument that the law represented bipartisan action aimed at addressing national security concerns.
Trump’s meeting with Chew signals a possible shift in the administration’s approach to TikTok, as the company continues to fight the ban and work toward a resolution.
