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Trump promises an executive order allowing TikTok to keep operating

The TikTok video app is seen with a message about returning in the U.S. after a Supreme Court ban.
Jaap Arriens
/
NurPhoto via Getty Images
The TikTok video app is seen with a message about returning in the U.S. after a Supreme Court ban.

President-elect Donald Trump has promised to sign an executive order on Monday allowing TikTok to continue operating in the United States, at least for now.

The social media app briefly went dark Saturday night for users in the U.S. after the Supreme Court upheld a law that bans TikTok unless it is sold off by its Chinese parent company. The law, passed last spring with bipartisan support and signed by President Biden, went into effect Sunday.

On Sunday morning, Trump posted on Truth Social, "I'm asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark! I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law's prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security."

Trump once thought differently about TikTok.

In August 2020, as president, heissued an executive order raising concerns about TikTok's parent company Bytedance, its connection to the Chinese government, and the implications for national security, especially given its ability to capture "vast swaths of information from its users.

"After Trump's post on Truth Social, TikTok's operations resumed Sunday with a message for users praising "President Trump's efforts" to keep the app running. Whether Trump has the legal authority to extend the deadline for this ban remains to be seen.

Copyright 2025 NPR

Christina Gatti