President Trump & TikTok: Friends or Foes?

By: Paulina Milewska

Photo Credit: Pixabay

"As a result of President Trump's efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!" This was the message projected on 170 million Americans’ screens on January 19th, 2025, not even a full day after the initial ban of the app, and a day before President Trump’s presidential inauguration. The quick turnaround raised a number of questions. Was soon-to-be President Trump really behind the app’s restoration? Was the app even restored?

President Trump’s First Term

Surprising as it may be, President Trump had not always been against TikTok’s ban. In October of 2019, official U.S. government concerns were raised regarding TikTok’s supposed threat to national safety. These concerns influenced an investigation that surrounded Chinese-owned apps, especially TikTok. President Trump expressed more interest in banning the app near the end of his first term in July of 2020. His interest followed a national ban that India enforced on TikTok in June of that year and came in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, while Anti-Asian, and more specifically anti-Chinese, sentiment was on the rise. In an interview with Gray Television regarding India’s TikTok ban, President Trump stated, “It’s something we’re looking at, yes. It’s a big business. Look, what happened with China with this virus, what they’ve done to this country and to the entire world is disgraceful.”

A month later, President Trump acted on these interests. An executive order was signed which left a 45 day notice regarding a national ban for TikTok and another Chinese-owned app called WeChat. However, a federal court ruled that this ban exceeded his power in the executive branch. Therefore, a TikTok ban was not enforced in President Trump's first term.

Despite President Trump's efforts against TikTok, he joined it in June of 2024 and began posting videos concerning his campaign for re-election.

The January 19th, 2025 TikTok Ban

The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which would be used to ban TikTok, was passed by the House of Representatives in March of 2024. This bill was signed by President Biden shortly after. Though the ban wasn't set to take effect until January 19, 2025, the app suspended its services on the night of January 18, 2025 and stayed unaccessible in the U.S. until later the next day.

The timeline of the official day of TikTok’s ban, January 19 2025, is confusing at best. It is difficult to keep track of which administration was responsible for what, due in large part to the power transfers through the presidential inauguration. It does not seem clear how President Donald Trump signed an executive order a day before he was inaugurated as the US President, yet this order is what has allowed TikTok to continue running in the US for 75 days after its initial ban. 

Looking Into The Future: What Does This Mean For TikTok?

TikTok is not “saved.” The only way for TikTok to continue its service in the U.S. beyond the 75 days Trump acquired is if its parent company, ByteDance, sells the app to non-Chinese owners. If this happens, the app can continue running in the United States. However, ByteDance has expressed a strong stance against doing so because of possible issues with its algorithm, so this seems unlikely. 

The 75 day deadline can possibly be extended through another executive order.

The Verdict

It is not surprising that discipuli are looking for an answer as to who is taking this resource away from them. TBLS clubs often use social media, such as TikTok, to advertise their meetings, events, and generally communicate with the wider school community. However, the answer is not straightforward. President Trump has clearly switched angles on this issue between his two terms, though the public has not been provided a reason for this switch. As mentioned earlier, the first thing to appear on the app when the ban on TikTok was delayed was a message from ByteDance, reading, “As a result of President Trump's efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!” Yet, the true nature or extent of the efforts mentioned in this message remain unknown.