TikTok CEO Shou Chew on Friday thanked President-elect Donald Trump for supporting the company’s efforts to remain available to U.S. users.
In a video posted to TikTok, his first public statement since the Supreme Court upheld a law banning the app hours earlier, Chew praised Trump’s recent support.
“I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to working with us to find a solution to keep TikTok available in the United States,” he said. “This is a strong stand in support of the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship.”
Chew continued: “We are grateful and happy to have the support of a president who truly understands our platform – one who has used TikTok to express his own thoughts and perspectives, connect with the world, and generate more than 60 billion views of its content in the process.
The statement was released shortly after the Biden administration announced Friday that it would hand over enforcement of the TikTok ban to the Trump administration.
The White House’s decision to suspend any enforcement action on Sunday, the day the law takes effect, potentially leaves the door open for TikTok to continue existing uninterrupted until there is more clarity on how Trump will enforce or manage the ban.
During his first presidential term, Trump unsuccessfully attempted to ban TikTok, but during his 2024 campaign, Trump joined TikTok and changed his stance on the app, saying he would “save TikTok” in a video from June.
But on Friday, Trump issued a noncommittal statement on Truth Social, writing: “The Supreme Court’s decision was expected and everyone must respect it. My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I need to have time to review it. the situation. Stay tuned! »
Trump met with Chew in December and said he had “a hot spot” for the app. Chew is expected to attend Trump’s inauguration on Monday and sit with other tech executives in attendance.
TikTok did not announce its plans for the app on Sunday, but NBC News reported that the app was preparing to “go dark” as a last resort.
The law banning TikTok could be enforced by imposing fines on companies that host and facilitate TikTok’s existence in the United States, such as Apple, with its App Store, and Oracle, which hosts TikTok’s U.S. data. These companies have yet to release any statements on how they plan to proceed now that the ban has been upheld.
This is a developing story. Please check again for updates.
