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The U.S. version of TikTok is back online just hours after Donald Trump’s inauguration, fulfilling his promise to save the app from a government ban through an executive order.
“In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service,” TikTok said in a post on X. “We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive.”
STATEMENT FROM TIKTOK:
In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service. We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170…
— TikTok Policy (@TikTokPolicy) January 19, 2025
“It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States,” the company said.
Just hours before TikTok suspended service for Americans, Trump wrote on Truth Social, urging it to continue. Trump stated that he wants it ready to broadcast his inauguration on Monday.
Trump wrote “I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security. The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order.”
On Sunday afternoon, TikTok became available again in stages, starting with access through web computers. Some users were able to use it later in the day, and when they did, they were greeted with the message “Welcome back! Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.! You can continue to create, share, and discover all the things you love on TikTok.”
Both the Apple and Google app stores still did not have the apps available for download.
There are specific conditions that must be satisfied before the president may extend the 90-day extension of the ban on TikTok, which was supposed to take effect on Sunday.
Unless ByteDance, the company’s Chinese owner, sold it to a non-Chinese buyer, TikTok would be banned under a bill that President Joe Biden signed in April.
Biden and the new Trump administration seemed to change their minds on TikTok just before the ban went into effect.
Trump supported TikTok during his campaign, promising to preserve the platform. He had previously called for a ban during his first term in office.
TikTok Ban Sparks Political Disputes
Following the Supreme Court’s decision on Friday to approve the law, the Biden administration released a statement indicating it would not enforce the ban, leaving that duty to Trump.
By Saturday evening, the app had been pulled from app stores, and service for American users was halted.
The fate of TikTok in the U.S. remains uncertain.
Once TikTok was back online, some Republicans seemed to differ from Trump regarding the potential outcomes. House Speaker Mike, R-La., Johnson, “Meet the Press” on Sunday, remarked, “I think we will enforce the law,” and added, “When President Trump issued the Truth [Social] post and said, ‘Save TikTok,’ the way we read that is that he’s going to try to force along a true divestiture, changing of hands, the ownership.”
Senators Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., also released a statement applauding the ban and indicating they do not support an extension as proposed by Trump.
“Now that the law has taken effect, there’s no legal basis for any kind of ‘extension’ of its effective date. For TikTok to come back online in the future, ByteDance must agree to a sale that satisfies the law’s qualified-divestiture requirements by severing all ties between TikTok and Communist China,” part of the statement read.
Even with an extension that Trump promised in an executive order on Monday, the law mandates ByteDance to eventually sell TikTok to a non-Chinese owner, something the parent company has shown no willingness to do.
TikTok, in its latest statement, expressed that it “will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.”
Trump has suggested the possibility of a joint venture for TikTok, with the U.S. owning 50%. However, this idea might face obstacles, as the law includes a 20% cap for “foreign adversary” owners, making it unclear if ByteDance could hold more than that stake without a legal amendment.
The law characterizes “controlled by a foreign adversary” in various ways, including, “an entity with respect to which a foreign person or combination of foreign persons … directly or indirectly own at least a 20 percent stake.”
