Trump Urges Supreme Court to Delay TikTok Ban Until January 19, Citing Negotiation Plans

Jan 3, 2025, 10:00 PM

President-elect Donald Trump has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to delay the enforcement of a law that would ban TikTok in the U.S. unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divests from it by January 19. Trump's request comes as he argues that his incoming administration should have the opportunity to negotiate a resolution. The Biden administration, however, has asked the Supreme Court to reject Trump's request, emphasizing that the law targets national security risks posed by potential Chinese control over TikTok, not free speech. TikTok, in its filings, has argued against the ban, asserting that it infringes on the First Amendment rights of its 170 million American users and that the law stems from the company's refusal to censor certain viewpoints. Trump highlighted his popularity on TikTok, noting that his personal account has received 1.4 billion total views and averages 24 million views per post, while his campaign account has garnered 2.4 billion views with an average of 6 million views per post. Additionally, the @teamtrump account has received eight times more total views on TikTok than on Instagram. The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on January 10, with a decision expected before the law's effective date.