Social media expert Ariadna Jacob talks about how TikTok users are turning to the Chinese app Rednote following the ruling on The Bottom Line.
TikTok announced Sunday that it is restoring operations in the U.S. after President-elect Trump promised to issue an executive order extending TikTok’s operations on Inauguration Day.
Users in the United States reported being able to regain access to the app after Saturday’s power outage, and by Sunday afternoon, users were seeing a new message praising Trump.
“Welcome back!” read the TikTok message. “Thank you for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the United States!”
Early Sunday, President Trump wrote on TRUTH Social: “We’re asking companies not to leave TikTok in the dark.”
TikTok shouts out Trump as app goes dark for millions of users nationwide
TikTok welcomed users back to the social media platform after President-elect Donald Trump vowed to push through an executive order delaying the ban. (Fox News/Fox News)
“I will issue an executive order on Monday that will extend the time period until the law’s ban goes into effect so we can reach a deal that will protect our nation’s security,” the president-elect continued. “This order confirms that I will not be liable to any company that helped stop TikTok from going dark prior to my order.”
“Americans have a right to watch Monday’s exciting Inauguration Ceremony and other events and conversations,” President Trump said.
President-elect Donald Trump, Melania Trump, and their son Barron board a U.S. Air Force plane bound for Dulles, Virginia, in West Palm Beach, January 18, 2025. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images/Getty Images)
Trump is scheduled to take the oath of office at the U.S. Capitol around noon ET on Monday, officially becoming the 47th president of the United States.
His Sunday post did not say how soon the extension would go into effect or how long it would last.
Regarding the proposed national security agreement, President Trump said, “I would like the United States to have 50% ownership in a joint venture.”
President Trump: “By doing this, we can save TikTok, put it under proper control, and keep it alive.Without America’s approval, there is no TikTok.With our approval, TikTok will be worth hundreds of billions of dollars.” , probably worth trillions of dollars.” “My first thought, therefore, is a joint venture between the current owners and/or the new owners, thereby establishing a joint venture between the United States and the purchaser of our choice. The US will acquire 50% ownership.
A TikTok account on X, which specializes in releasing policy updates, posted a statement late Sunday saying, “TikTok is in the process of restoring service, per our agreements with service providers.”
“Please provide us with the clarity and assurance we need to provide our service providers with the clarity and assurance they need that there will be no penalties to bring TikTok to over 170 million Americans and enable over 7 million small businesses to thrive. We thank President Trump for his support,” he said in a statement. “This is a strong position in support of the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution to keep TikTok in the United States.” ”
The TikTok app is no longer available in Apple and Google’s app stores as of 10:50 p.m. ET on Saturday. Last spring, President Biden signed bipartisan legislation requiring TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance to sell its platform by Sunday or face a ban on the platform in the United States.
In this photo illustration taken on January 19, 2025 in Brussels, Belgium, a TikTok ban message appears on a mobile screen and the TikTok logo appears on a tablet screen. (Jonathan Rah/NurPhoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)
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Users who tried to access the TikTok app early Sunday were greeted with the following pop-up message: “We’re sorry, but TikTok is currently unavailable. A law has been enacted in the United States that bans TikTok. Unfortunately. , which means you can’t use TikTok for now. ”
The message added: “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he is willing to work with us on a solution to bring TikTok back once he takes office. Stay tuned!”
Earlier on Sunday, President Trump released a two-word message on TRUTH social: “Save TIKTOK!”
The U.S. Capitol Building at sunrise on January 19, 2025, in Washington, DC, the day before President-elect Donald Trump’s second term inauguration. (Joe Radle/Getty Images/Getty Images)
Instead of taking advantage of the nine-month grace period to sell TikTok to an approved buyer, ByteDance, like TikTok, filed suit.
The law was upheld Friday by the U.S. Supreme Court, which cited national security risks from the app’s ties to China.
President Trump had previously indicated that he would have to “consider” the ban before choosing a course of action and that he was “likely” to grant TikTok a 90-day extension of its Jan. 19 deadline. .
According to the law, a sitting president can extend the deadline by 90 days if a sale is in progress. ByteDance had previously rejected the idea of selling TikTok.
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TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said in a video posted Friday that President Trump’s “commitment is to work with us to find a solution to keep TikTok available in the United States.” “This is a strong stance in support of the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship.”
FOX Business’ Alexandra Koch, Bradford Betz, Landon Mion and Brie Stimson contributed to this report.
