Trump asks Supreme Court to suspend law that could ban TikTok - Business

Resident-elect Donald Trump has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to halt implementation of a law that would ban popular social media app TikTok or force its sale, arguing he should have time after his taking office, to seek a “political resolution” to the issue.

The court is scheduled to hear arguments in the case on January 10.

The law would force TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell the platform to an American company or face a ban. The US Congress voted in April to ban it unless ByteDance sells the app by January 19.

TikTok, which has more than 170 million users in the United States, and its parent company have sought to have the law repealed. But if the court does not rule in their favor and no divestment takes place, the app could be effectively banned in the United States on January 19, a day before Trump takes office.

Trump’s support for TikTok is a reversal from 2020, when he tried to block the app in the United States and force its sale to American companies due to its Chinese ownership.

It also shows the significant efforts the company made to make inroads with Trump and his team during the presidential campaign.

“President Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute,” said D. John Sauer, Trump’s lawyer who is also the president-elect’s choice for U.S. solicitor general.

“Instead, it respectfully requests that the Court consider suspending the divestment deadline of January 19, 2025, while it considers the merits of this case, thereby giving President Trump’s new administration the possibility of seeking a political resolution of the issues at issue in the case,” he added.

Trump previously met with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew in December, hours after the president-elect said he had a “hot spot” for the app and was in favor of TikTok continuing to operate in the United States for at least a little while.

The president-elect also said he received billions of views on the social media platform during his presidential campaign.

TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The company previously said the Justice Department misreported its ties to China, arguing that its content recommendation engine and user data were stored in the United States on cloud servers operated by Oracle Corp, while that content moderation decisions affecting American users were made in the United States. Also.

Free speech advocates told the Supreme Court on Friday that the US law against TikTok evokes censorship regimes implemented by America’s authoritarian enemies.

The U.S. Department of Justice has argued that Chinese control of TikTok poses an ongoing threat to national security, a position supported by most U.S. lawmakers.

On Friday, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen led a coalition of 22 attorneys general to file an amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to uphold the nation’s legislation on divestment or banning TikTok.

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