United States President-elect Donald Trump met with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Monday, as the social media giant battles a looming ban set to take effect on January 19, 2025.
The meeting, first reported by CBS News, came amid rising tensions over a law passed earlier this year that mandates TikTok’s sale by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or an outright ban in the United States.
In an emergency filing on Monday, TikTok urged the US Supreme Court to delay the enforcement of the ban.
The company described TikTok as “one of the most significant speech platforms” in the country, warning that the ban would cause “immediate irreparable harm” to the platform and its millions of users.
TikTok requested a “modest delay” to allow further review by the Court and give the incoming administration time to “evaluate this matter”.
The US government pushed for TikTok’s sale or ban due to alleged links between ByteDance and the Chinese government, claims that TikTok and ByteDance repeatedly denied.
The law was introduced to “protect the national security of the United States from the threat posed by foreign adversary-controlled applications”.
While Trump supported banning TikTok during his first term, he now opposes the measure, citing concerns that it could unfairly benefit rival platforms like Facebook, a company he has repeatedly criticised for allegedly influencing the outcome of the 2020 election.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Trump said: “I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok, because I won youth by 34 points. There are those that say that TikTok has something to do with that. TikTok had an impact.”
Trump’s comments reflect a significant shift in youth support during the recent election. Although a majority of 18 to 29-year-olds voted for Trump’s Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris, there was a notable swing toward Trump compared to 2020.
Earlier this month, TikTok’s challenge to the ban was rejected by a federal appeals court, which upheld the legislation.
The court stated that the law was the “culmination of extensive, bipartisan action by Congress and by successive presidents”.
TikTok’s future now rests on the Supreme Court’s decision and the incoming administration’s position after the January 19 deadline.
Trump, who joined TikTok in June, quickly amassed millions of followers during his campaign, underscoring the platform’s influence, particularly among young voters.
With time running out, all eyes remain on the Supreme Court’s next move and the role TikTok could play in the evolving political and social media landscape.
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