TikTok is resuming service in the U.S., thanks to Trump

TikTok began resuming its services on Sunday, after President-elect Donald Trump announced that he will reinstate access to the app in the United States when he takes office on Monday.

“Frankly, we have no option. “We have to save it,” Trump said at a rally on Sunday before of his inauguration, adding that the US will seek a joint venture to revive the short-video sharing app used by 170 million Americans.

TikTok announced in a message to users hours before the rally: “As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.”

TikTok also made an earlier statement when customers in the United States reported being able to access the Chinese-owned service’s website, while the considerably more popular TikTok app itself began to relaunch for some users with only a few basic functions. As of Sunday evening, the software was still unavailable for download in US app stores.

“In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service,” said TikTok in its previous statement. It also thanked Mr. Trump for “providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties (for) providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive.”

TikTok’s public thank you to Trump, one day before he takes office, comes at a difficult time in US-China ties. Trump has stated that he plans to impose tariffs on China, but he has also expressed a desire to have more direct communication with China’s leader.

On Friday, the Chinese Embassy in Washington accused the United States of using undue state power to crush TikTok. “China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,” according to a representative.

TikTok ceased operating for US customers late Saturday before a legislation shutting it down for national security reasons went into force on Sunday. US officials had warned that under Chinese parent firm ByteDance, there was a potential that Americans’ data might be exploited.

According to Trump, he would “extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.”

“I would like the United States to have a 50% stake in a joint venture,” he stated on Truth Social.

Trump stated that the executive order will exclude any corporation from accountability for assisting in keeping TikTok operational prior to his order.

Trump had previously stated that he would most likely grant TikTok a 90-day respite from the ban after taking office, which TikTok referenced in a note issued to app users.

“A legislation outlawing TikTok has been passed in the United States. Unfortunately, this means you won’t be able to utilize TikTok right now. We are fortunate that President Trump has stated that he will collaborate with us on a way to reestablish TikTok once he takes office. Please remain tuned,” said a warning to TikTok users after the software vanished from Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab, and Google app stores late Saturday.

Trump’s decision to save TikTok marks a shift from his position during his first term in office. In 2020, he planned to prohibit the app for fears that the firm was sharing Americans’ personal information with the Chinese government.

More recently, Trump stated that he had “a warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” attributing the app with helping him win over young people in the 2024 election.

In August 2020, Trump issued an executive order giving ByteDance 90 days to sell TikTok, but then approved a deal structured as a collaboration rather than a sale, with Oracle (ORCL.N) and Walmart (WMT.N) both holding interests in the new firm.

Not everyone in Trump’s Republican Party supported efforts to circumvent the legislation and “save TikTok”.

Republican senators Tom Cotton and Pete Ricketts stated in a joint statement: “Now that the law has gone into effect, there is no legal basis for any form of ‘extension’ of its effective date. To bring TikTok back online in the future, ByteDance must agree to a sale that meets the law’s qualified-divestiture standards by cutting all links between TikTok and Communist China.”

The United States has never banned any major social media platform. The measure, enacted overwhelmingly by Congress, offers the incoming Trump administration broad ability to prohibit or demand the sale of other Chinese-owned applications.

Other ByteDance-owned applications, such as video editing software CapCut and lifestyle networking app Lemon8, were likewise down and inaccessible in US app stores as of late Saturday.