Trump meeting TikTok CEO as ban deadline looms
US President-elect Donald Trump is set to meet with TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, as the social media company fights against efforts to ban the app in the US.
Trump was scheduled to meet Chew at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Monday, according to CBS News, citing sources close to the meeting.
A law passed earlier this year mandates that TikTok will be banned unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells it before January 19.
In response, TikTok has filed an emergency application with the US Supreme Court, requesting a delay in the ban’s enforcement.
The US government seeks either a sale or ban of TikTok due to concerns over alleged connections between ByteDance and the Chinese government—allegations both TikTok and ByteDance deny.
The law introducing the ban cites the need to “protect the national security of the United States from the threat posed by foreign adversary-controlled applications.”
Although Trump previously supported a ban during his first term, he now opposes it, partly because he believes it could benefit Facebook, which he has accused of interfering with his 2020 election campaign.
Trump’s second term will begin on January 20, just one day after the deadline set by the law.
In its filing to the Supreme Court on Monday, TikTok requested a “modest delay” in the ban’s enforcement to allow for a review by the Court and to give the incoming administration time to assess the situation.
TikTok argued that the ban would cause “immediate irreparable harm” to the company and its users, emphasizing its significance as “one of the most important speech platforms” in the US.
Earlier this month, a federal appeals court rejected TikTok’s attempt to overturn the ban, stating that the law reflected “extensive, bipartisan action by Congress and successive presidents.”
At a press conference on Monday, Trump said his administration would “take a look at TikTok”.
“I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok, because I won youth by 34 points,” he said.
“There are those that say that TikTok has something to do with that. TikTok had an impact.”
A majority of 18 to 29-year-olds backed Trump’s Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris, in November, but the vote did see a significant swing towards Trump among young voters since the 2020 election.
Trump only joined TikTok in June, but gained millions of followers on the platform over the course of the campaign.
