Camille Naredo

US president-elect Donald Trump dances at the end of a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York, October 27, 2024. Angela Weiss, AFP/File

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump dances at the end of a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York, October 27, 2024. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)

Article (news)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds a campaign rally

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1737308849018AFP__20241028__36L34P2__v1__Preview__RepublicanPresidentialCandidateDonaldTrumpHolds.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="US president-elect Donald Trump dances at the end of a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York, October 27, 2024. Angela Weiss, AFP/File"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">US president-elect Donald Trump dances at the end of a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York, October 27, 2024. <em>Angela Weiss, AFP/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>WASHINGTON -- President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday called for the United States to take part-ownership in TikTok and vowed to issue an executive order delaying a ban on the wildly popular app to allow time to &quot;make a deal.&quot;</p><p>Trump&#x27;s announcement came hours after TikTok went dark in the United States under a law banning it in the name of national security, as a deadline for its Chinese owners ByteDance to sell its US subsidiary to non-Chinese buyers lapsed.</p><p>The law however includes a clause allowing for a 90-day delay if the White House can show progress toward a viable deal, but so far ByteDance has flatly refused any sale.</p><p>Outgoing President Joe Biden&#x27;s administration said it would leave the matter to Trump -- who takes office on Monday -- and that it would not enforce any ban.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/technology/2025/1/19/tiktok-shuts-down-us-access-as-trump-seeks-app-s-reinstatement-1303">READ: TikTok shuts down US access as Trump seeks app&#x27;s reinstatement</a></div><p>&quot;I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law&#x27;s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security,&quot; Trump said on his Truth Social platform.</p><p>He said he &quot;would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture,&quot; arguing that the app&#x27;s value could surge to &quot;hundreds of billions of dollars -- maybe trillions.&quot;</p><p>&quot;By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands,&quot; Trump wrote.</p><p>&quot;Americans deserve to see our exciting Inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations.</p><p>From teenage dancers to grandmothers sharing cooking tips, TikTok has been embraced for its ability to transform ordinary users into global celebrities when a video goes viral.</p><p>But it is also rife with disinformation, and its Chinese ownership has long spurred national security fears, internationally as well as in the United States.</p><p>In an earlier message to dismayed users trying to access the app on Sunday, TikTok said that &quot;we are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!&quot;</p><p>Trump, who had previously backed a TikTok ban and during his first term in office made moves towards one, did not offer further details on how such a deal would work.</p><p>Sunday&#x27;s blackout came after the US Supreme Court on Friday upheld the legislation banning it pending any sale.</p><p>But the app now has a fan in Trump, who -- since signing an executive order stepping up pressure on ByteDance to sell in 2020 -- has since credited the app with connecting him to younger voters.</p><p>It is unclear what the incoming president can do to lift the ban unless ByteDance sells, however.</p><p>&quot;Congress wrote this law to be virtually president-proof,&quot; warned Adam Kovacevich, chief executive of industry trade group Chamber of Progress.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/technology/2025/1/18/explainer-what-happens-after-the-tiktok-ban-0846">EXPLAINER: What happens after the TikTok ban?</a></div><div><strong>- &#x27;I love TikTok&#x27; -</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AQcl0YoQcS4?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>Besides removing TikTok from app stores, the law requires Apple and Google to block new downloads, with the companies liable for penalties of up to $5,000 per user if the app is accessed.</p><p>Oracle, which hosts TikTok&#x27;s servers, would also be legally obligated to enforce the ban.</p><p>Other social media platforms such as X were flooded with memes and comments mourning the move Sunday -- though some posts were more cynical, with many pointing to Trump&#x27;s own previous efforts to ban TikTok.</p><p>In Europe, TikTok&#x27;s suspension drew praise from the foreign minister of Estonia -- among the countries most resilient to disinformation, according to the European Media Literacy Index.</p><p>&quot;Banning TikTok must be considered in Europe as well,&quot; Margus Tsahkna said on X.</p><p>The ban even became a hot topic at the Australian Open in Melbourne, where American tennis player Coco Gauff scrawled &quot;RIP TikTok USA&quot; on a courtside camera.</p><p>&quot;I love TikTok, it&#x27;s like an escape... hopefully it comes back,&quot; the world number three told reporters.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/1/17/us-supreme-court-upholds-law-banning-tiktok-2357">READ: US Supreme Court upholds law banning TikTok</a></div><div><strong>- Offers for TikTok -</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PxOCsyRiSHs?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>A last-minute proposal made Saturday by the highly valued start-up Perplexity AI offered a merger with the US subsidiary of TikTok, a source with knowledge of the deal told AFP.</p><p>The proposal did not include a price but the source estimated it would cost at least $50 billion.</p><p>Frank McCourt, the former Los Angeles Dodgers owner, has also made an offer to purchase TikTok&#x27;s US activities.</p><p>Meanwhile, thousands of worried TikTok users turned to Xiaohongshu (&quot;Little Red Book&quot;), a Chinese social media network similar to Instagram, ahead of the suspension.</p><p>Nicknamed &quot;Red Note&quot; by its American users, it was the most downloaded app on the US Apple Store last week.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable fr-active" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wqTqJzTGI0U?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday called for the United States to take part-ownership in TikTok and vowed to issue an executive order delaying a ban on the wildly popular app to allow time to "make a deal."</p>

President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday called for the United States to take part-ownership in TikTok and vowed to issue an executive order delaying a ban on the wildly popular app to allow time to "make a deal."

Trump says will delay TikTok ban, proposes US part-ownership

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Trump says will delay TikTok ban, proposes US part-ownership

Agence France-Presse,

Alex Pigman

Published January 20, 2025 01:48 AM PHT

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