U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has had a surprising change of heart in his stance on popular social media platform TikTok which he denounced four years ago, but is now acting in a bid to stop its looming ban in the U.S.
The President-elect has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to pause a controversial ban on TikTok that is set to take effect on January 19, 2025 a day before he is sworn in to office.
In a legal filing made last Friday, Trump appealed to the justices to delay the ban to allow his administration to “pursue a negotiated resolution.”
READ: All you need to know on looming TikTok ban in U.S: Concerns, timelines & options
Trump’s request for a delay in implementing the ban puts him at odds with the Biden administration which holds that ByteDance is a potential national security risk as it could share critical user data for Chinese government surveillance purposes.
Trump denouncing TikTok & change of heart
Notably, Trump himself denounced denounced TikTok four years ago claiming it is a threat to America’s national security.
As he prepares for a return to the White House, Trump appears to have had a change of heart, hailing TikTok as a “unique medium for freedom of expression.”
The First Amendment implications of the federal government’s effective shuttering of a social-media platform used by 170 million Americans are sweeping and troubling
There are valid concerns that the act may set a dangerous global precedent by exercising the extraordinary power to shut down an entire social-media platform based, in large part, on concerns about disfavored speech on that platform.
The Biden administration scored a win in court with a landmark ruling that left TikTok with limited options and with a deadline of January 19, 2025.
Its parent company has to sell and find a non-Chinese buyer for the platform with, US app stores and internet services expected to stop hoisting the popular platform upon the lapse of the deadline.
TikTok facing imminent ban in the U.S.
TikTok’s woes started in April 2024 when President Joe Biden signed a bill into law, requiring the platform to be sold to a new non-Chinese owner or be banned in the United States.
Earlier this month, TikTok which is owned by Chinese parent-company Byte Dance, lost its bid challenging a law that could see the platform banned with an Appeals Court ruling that the law does not “contravene the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States”.
In the wake of the ruling, TikTok parent company issued a statement confirming that it would challenge the decision in court.
Capitol Hill's concerns with TikTok
For years, Capitol Hill held that ByteDance is a potential national security risk as it could share critical user data for Chinese government surveillance purposes.
Concerns were also raised that the Chinese government could compel the company to alter TikTok’s algorithm to spread propaganda and fake news in an era where social media is a key conduit for spreading the same.