Trump Pushes Supreme Court to Delay TikTok Ban as January Deadline Looms

President-elect Donald Trump has urged the Supreme Court to delay the January deadline for TikTok's potential ban or sale, arguing his incoming administration should have the opportunity to resolve the matter politically. The court will hear arguments on January 10 regarding the contentious legislation.

Trump Urges Supreme Court to Pause TikTok Ban Enforcement

Per Investing.com, the incoming president, Donald Trump, has asked the United States Supreme Court to postpone the enforcement of a ban on the popular video-sharing app TikTok or to mandate its sale. Trump claims he needs more time to find a "political resolution" to the problem once he takes office.

On January 10th, the court will hear arguments regarding the matter.

ByteDance Faces Pressure to Sell TikTok by January Deadline

In order to avoid a ban, the law would force ByteDance, the Chinese business that owns TikTok, to sell the site to an American corporation. In April, lawmakers in the United States voted to outlaw it unless ByteDance sells the app by January 19.

The parent company and 170 million American users of TikTok have petitioned to have the statute nullified. On January 19, the day before Trump assumed office, the app might be practically outlawed in the US if the court does not find it in their favor and divestment does not take place.

Reversal of Stance Highlights TikTok's Efforts to Build U.S. Relations

Since 2020, when Trump sought to ban the app in the US and compel its sale to American companies due to its Chinese ownership, he has reversed his position and is now supporting TikTok.

It also demonstrates the company's seriousness about reaching out to Trump and his campaign while he was running for president.

Legal Appeal Seeks Time for Political Resolution

"President Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute," stated D. John Sauer, who is both Trump's lawyer and the U.S. solicitor general nominee chosen by the president-elect.

"Instead, he respectfully requests that the Court consider staying the Act's deadline for divestment of January 19, 2025, while it considers the merits of this case, thus permitting President Trump's incoming administration the opportunity to pursue a political resolution of the questions at issue in the case," said he.

TikTok Data Practices Defended Amid Security Concerns

Just hours before expressing his "warm spot" for the app and his preference for allowing TikTok to continue operating in the US for the time being, President-elect Trump met with Shou Zi Chew, CEO of TikTok, in December.

While running for president, the soon-to-be president boasted that his campaign videos had billions of views on the social networking site.

A request for comment was not promptly addressed by TikTok.

The company has previously stated that its ties to China have been exaggerated by the Justice Department. It argues that the cloud servers used by Oracle Corp. store user data and the content recommendation engine in the US and that decisions regarding content moderation that impact US users are also made in the US.

Free Speech and National Security Debates Shape TikTok Ban

Separately, on Friday, free expression supporters warned the Supreme Court that the US ban on TikTok is reminiscent of censorship regimes imposed by America's authoritarian rivals.

Like the majority of American legislators, the U.S. Justice Department has maintained that Chinese influence over TikTok constitutes an ongoing danger to American national security.

The national TikTok divest-or-ban legislation was asked by the Supreme Court in an amicus brief filed on Friday by 22 attorneys general, with Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen leading the coalition.