New York
CNN
—
Approximately 12 hours after suspending its operations in the United States, TikTok has returned for many users as if it had never departed, crediting its comeback to a decision by President-elect Donald Trump to preserve the application.
TikTok greeted users upon return with a notification stating: “We appreciate your patience and support. Thanks to President Trump’s initiatives, TikTok is back in the U.S.!”
The rapid decision to reinstate the application follows TikTok becoming inaccessible for Americans late Saturday evening. Users attempting to access the application were confronted with a notification stating it was offline and instructing them to “stay tuned.”
“A statute prohibiting TikTok has been implemented in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you won’t be able to utilize TikTok for the time being,” part of TikTok’s message read. The application was also inaccessible on the Apple and Google Play platforms, as well as Lemon8 and CapCut, which are likewise owned by TikTok’s China-based parent firm, ByteDance.
Early on Sunday, Trump announced he would enact an executive order following his inauguration on Monday to postpone the enforcement of the divest-or-ban legislation. Within hours, access to TikTok’s application and website began to be restored for U.S. users.
The revival of TikTok will be favorable news for the app’s 170 million American users, many of whom spend hours daily using the app to discover news, entertainment, and community, and in some instances, to earn a living, after weeks of ambiguity.
Moreover, it indicated that Trump might be on the verge of achieving a significant political triumph by taking credit for reviving the favored platform. In a statement released midday Sunday, TikTok declared that Trump’s commitment to saving the application enabled it to reinstate access for U.S. users even prior to the expected executive order being signed.
“In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service. We express our gratitude to President Trump for offering the needed clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will incur no penalties for supplying TikTok to over 170 million Americans and enabling over 7 million small enterprises to flourish,” the company stated in a release. “We will collaborate with President Trump on a long-term resolution that maintains TikTok in the United States.”
TikTok CEO Shou Chew is anticipated to attend Trump’s “Make America Great Again Victory Rally” in Washington, DC, Sunday evening, before being prominently positioned at the incoming president’s inauguration on Monday.
Yet, while TikTok’s interruption lasted only a few hours, ensuring the application’s long-term stability in the United States is likely to be more intricate.
Trump mentioned on Sunday in a Truth Social post that he intends to issue an executive order after his inauguration on Monday to “prolong the duration before the law’s restrictions come into force, so that we can negotiate a deal to safeguard our national security.”
He urged TikTok’s collaborators to permit the app’s restoration, declaring “the order will also affirm that there will be no accountability for any enterprise that assisted in keeping TikTok operational before my directive.”
“Americans ought to witness our thrilling Inauguration on Monday, in addition to other activities and discussions,” Trump expressed.
Trump indicated he was contemplating a 90-day extension on the ban to afford him time to negotiate a deal to transfer the application to a non-Chinese owner. In his post, Trump mentioned he would pursue a 50-50 joint venture between TikTok’s current parent company, China-based ByteDance, and a new, American proprietor.
Such a declaration could represent an instant political win for Trump among America’s younger generation. While Trump advocated for a TikTok prohibition during his initial presidential term, he has recently expressed a desire to preserve the app — posting on Truth Social on Sunday morning: “SAVE TIKTOK!” Last month, he requested that the Supreme Court pause the legislation so his forthcoming administration could negotiate an arrangement to maintain TikTok’s availability for Americans. The Supreme Court reaffirmed the law on Friday.
TikTok reached out to Trump through a pop-up notification on the app starting late Saturday evening, informing users that the application was restricted in the United States.
“We are thankful that President Trump has signaled he will collaborate with us on a resolution to restore TikTok once he assumes office,” the company announced in its pop-up notification. “Please remain tuned!”
Chew also praised Trump in a video addressing the company’s Supreme Court defeat on Friday, expressing gratitude: “we are appreciative and pleased to have the backing of a president who genuinely understands our platform, one who has utilized TikTok to share his own ideas and viewpoints, connecting with the globe and amassing over 60 billion views of his content in the process.”
Trump attributed part of his electoral success to TikTok during a press briefing at Mar-a-Lago in December.
“I have a fondness for TikTok,” Trump remarked, subsequently asserting that he had secured the youth vote by a considerable margin. “And there are those who claim that TikTok played a role in it.”
The legislation imposing a ban on TikTok received strong bipartisan backing in Congress, highlighting national security apprehensions. While a Pew Research Center Survey conducted in 2023 indicated that roughly half of Americans were in favor of the ban, it has consistently shown to be unpopular with younger demographics.
Through his executive order, Trump is anticipated to postpone the implementation of the ban, allowing TikTok’s parent company ByteDance additional time to seek an American proprietor. Trump’s Sunday announcement might have sufficed to reassure TikTok’s technology associates, including Oracle, which hosts TikTok’s content in the United States, as well as Apple and Google, which facilitate the app in their app stores, to continue their backing of the app. According to the law, these companies might incur fines of up to $5,000 per individual who accesses TikTok if the ban is enforced.
Nevertheless, the executive order may encounter opposition, even from members of Trump’s own political faction, who claim they are against any prolongation of the ban.
“We applaud Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft for complying with the law and ceasing operations with ByteDance and TikTok, and we urge other firms to do likewise,” Republican Senators Tom Cotton, of Arkansas, and Pete Ricketts, of Nebraska, expressed in a joint statement on Sunday. “The legislation, ultimately, threatens devastating bankruptcy for any entity that breaches it. With the law now in effect, there is no legal justification for any sort of ‘extension’ of its enforcement date.”
Cotton and Ricketts asserted that TikTok should only resume operations after “severing all connections between TikTok and Communist China. Only then will Americans be safeguarded against the severe threat posed to their privacy and security by a communist-controlled TikTok.”
The app’s brief suspension signified the culmination of a prolonged endeavor to restrict US access to TikTok due to national security worries associated with its China-based owner ByteDance. Outgoing President Joe Biden enacted a law last April that mandated ByteDance to sell TikTok to a proprietor from the United States or one of its allies within 270 days, or else face a ban.
Therefore, even if Trump vows to reverse the ban, he cannot simply nullify a law enacted by Congress and ratified by a president with an executive order.
This is precisely why TikTok ceased operations to begin with. In spite of the Biden administration practically indicating they would postpone enforcement to the next Trump administration, a source close to TikTok stated “multiple crucial service providers” expressed concerns to TikTok that the ban might be enforced starting Sunday.
For instance, Apple issued a statement Sunday“`html
that referenced the prohibition as its justification for removing TikTok from its application store. It indicated that the application will continue to be accessible for users who have already installed it, but it won’t be available for redownload if uninstalled.
“Apple is required to adhere to the regulations in the regions where it operates,” the firm stated in its announcement. “In accordance with the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, applications produced by ByteDance Ltd. and its affiliates — including TikTok, CapCut, Lemon8, and others — will no longer be available for download or updates on the App Store for users in the United States starting January 19, 2025.”
The only genuinely lasting solutions to keep TikTok operating seem to be: 1) enact a new law that overturns the previous one — a challenging endeavor, given that the current bill received significant bipartisan backing in Congress — or 2) compel a sale to an acceptable purchaser.
Two potential purchasers — a consortium led by billionaire Frank McCourt and “Shark Tank’s” Kevin O’Leary, along with AI search engine PerplexityAI — have made official bids for the application, with others reportedly expressing interest in TikTok.
ByteDance, however, has consistently maintained that it has no plans to divest. TikTok’s nearly magical algorithm, which keeps users engaged with the application, is its covert strength, and valuing such a coveted asset, admired by every other social media platform, is challenging.
McCourt’s purchasing consortium has stated it would acquire TikTok’s US assets without the algorithm and reconstruct the application, but tech giants like Meta and YouTube have attempted for years to replicate TikTok’s popular algorithm without achieving success. O’Leary mentioned to CNN that he met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago earlier this month to discuss the future of the application.
Launching an American-exclusive version of TikTok might also necessitate that the rest of the world downloads a new application to access US users’ content. Nevertheless, Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal reported last week that China is evaluating a sale — to Elon Musk.
Musk might possess the means to purchase the application, and he is a notable Trump supporter who is about to assume a quasi-role in his administration. However, it is uncertain whether he would be interested, and he has not made any public comments directly regarding the acquisition reports.
On Sunday, Musk tweeted on X that he is against the TikTok prohibition “because it contradicts freedom of expression.”
“Nonetheless, the present situation where TikTok can function in America, but X is prohibited in China is imbalanced. Something has to change,” Musk stated.
If ByteDance opts to engage, Trump might contend that substantial advancements have been achieved regarding a deal — a legal criterion that would enable Trump to lift the prohibition to facilitate the sale process to begin.
In his Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump remarked that the United States should hold “a 50% ownership stake in a joint venture.”
“By taking this action, we preserve TikTok, ensure it remains with reliable hands and permit it to stay (sic) operational,” he asserted. “Consequently, my initial inclination is a joint venture between the existing owners and/or new proprietors in which the U.S. acquires a 50% ownership in a collaboration established between the U.S. and whomever we select for purchase.”
However, this is merely a temporary solution, as the sale would ultimately need to be finalized. Until that occurs, TikTok’s prospects will remain significantly uncertain.
Numerous TikTok users had clung to the hope that the shutdown would be brief.
Still, the Saturday night shutdown was a somber loss for some users — a reminder of the application’s cultural impact. Many users joined the platform in early 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic isolated them from community and other creative expressions.
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“I’m deeply saddened for so many individuals. I was astonished. I think I was most likely in a state of denial that it would truly just vanish,” influencer Shannon Lange communicated to CNN early Sunday, prior to the restoration of app access.
Influencer Alix Earle, who boasted nearly 8 million followers on TikTok, shared a tearful video on the platform before the interruption, expressing, “I feel as though I’m experiencing heartbreak. This platform is more significant than merely an application or a profession for me. I have countless memories here. I have posted daily for the last 6 years of my life.”
Julie Turkel, a creator on TikTok who mentioned that she was browsing the app when it ceased functioning on Saturday night, described the shutdown as “surreal.”
“It felt so surreal; it had a distinctly unsettling sensation,” Turkel told CNN. She noted that although she had foreseen the shutdown after TikTok’s alerts last week, “witnessing it actually go offline is an entirely different experience.”
Turkel informed CNN early Sunday that she was engaging in a digital “detox,” choosing not to utilize Instagram or other short-form video applications while TikTok was unavailable. However, the hiatus was brief.
Once the app was back on Sunday, Lange uploaded a video beaming and dancing, with text overlay that stated: “Longest 13 hours of my life and I was asleep for 9 of them.”
– CNN’s Brian Stelter assisted in this report.