TikTok has once again become available for download on the US app stores for both Apple and Google, following President Donald Trump’s decision to delay the enforcement of a ban on the Chinese-owned social media platform until April 5.
The popular app, which boasts over 170 million users in the United States, was briefly removed from the US app stores last month as the deadline for the ban approached. However, President Trump signed an executive order granting TikTok a 75-day extension to comply with the law, which mandates the sale of the app if it’s not banned outright.
After this extension, TikTok resumed its availability on Apple and Google app stores. Reports, including one from Bloomberg, suggest that Apple and Google were given assurances from the Trump administration that they would not face legal repercussions for allowing the app to be downloaded during this extension period, and that the ban would not be enforced immediately.
This move comes after a law passed with bipartisan support in Congress, which required TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell its US operations to a neutral party to avoid a full ban. The Biden administration argued that TikTok posed a national security risk, claiming that the Chinese government could potentially use it as a tool for espionage and political influence. Both TikTok and China have denied these allegations.
Despite the law’s passage and subsequent backing from US lawmakers, former President Trump had initially supported banning the app during his first term. However, he seemed to soften his stance during the 2020 election, expressing a “warm spot” for TikTok and emphasizing the success of his own videos on the platform. Following TikTok’s return to the app stores last month, the platform even sent a thank you message to Trump by name to its millions of users.
TikTok CEO Shou Chew met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago following his election win in November, and Chew later attended Trump’s inauguration. Trump has since indicated he is open to finding a middle ground with TikTok, suggesting a potential deal where the app could be jointly owned. He recently floated the idea of a 50/50 ownership split, allowing the US to have half of the platform while still granting ByteDance some control.
Trump also mentioned the possibility of selling TikTok to Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison or billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, both of whom have shown interest in acquiring the app. Other potential buyers include Frank McCourt, a billionaire businessman, and Kevin O’Leary, a well-known investor from the show Shark Tank. Additionally, Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, has also expressed interest, stating that several investors reached out to him after he posted about his intentions to explore a purchase.
SOURCE: BBC
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