House Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday dispelled the idea that President-elect Donald Trump would revive TikTok early in his second term, even if he has no intention of selling it to a U.S.-based owner.
Johnson spoke on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday, a day after President Trump told NBC News that he would “probably extend TikTok’s U.S. operations for 90 days.” “I think we will enforce the law.”
Johnson’s comments came just hours after TikTok suspended its U.S. operations and cut off users’ access to the app. At the same time, Apple, Google, and Microsoft removed the app from their app stores, making it impossible for new users to download it.
A bipartisan bill passed last year and signed by President Joe Biden goes into effect Sunday, forcing TikTok from the U.S. if China-based company ByteDance does not sell the app it owns to its U.S.-based owners. This has become a de facto ban.
TikTok made a last-ditch effort to avoid the ban in the past few months before the Supreme Court, but the court upheld the law on Friday.
President Trump, who supported banning TikTok during his first term, has now come out in favor of allowing the app to continue operating in the U.S. Oral arguments before the Supreme Court are being heard. Before that, the Trump campaign filed a brief asking the court to suspend the law. He said it would give the new administration time to find a solution.
The ban went into effect the day before President Trump was inaugurated for his second term.
On Saturday, the president-elect told NBC News that he would “likely” give TikTok a 90-day extension to avoid a post-inauguration ban, but senators specifically called for this in a statement. I didn’t agree.
“I think that would certainly be an option that we would consider,” Trump said in a phone interview. “A 90-day extension will probably happen because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate. We have to think carefully. This is a very big situation.”
Johnson noted that he believes President Trump has been talking about plans for the past few months to revive the app through sales rather than its current form.
“When President Trump puts out a truth (social) post and says, ‘Save TikTok,’ we read that as President Trump trying to force a real sale, a change of hands, a change of ownership. There are,” Johnson said Sunday.
“What lawmakers are concerned about is not the platform; it’s the Chinese Communist Party and its manipulation of algorithms. The Chinese Communist Party is sending horrific messages glorifying violence, anti-Semitism, even suicide and eating disorders to American children. “They’re flooding their minds. I mean, it’s crazy, they’re mining the data of the American people, and it’s very dangerous,” he added.
But late Sunday morning, President Trump appeared to push back on Johnson’s claims, writing on TruthSocial that he wants the app back online in the U.S. as soon as possible to buy time to reach a deal, even if there is no deal. . .
“I’m asking companies not to leave TikTok in the dark. Executive order extending the period until the law’s ban goes into effect so we can reach agreements to protect national security. will be released on Monday,” the president said. – wrote the elect.
Trump added: “This order confirms that companies that helped stop the TikTok blackout prior to my order will not be held accountable.”
Shortly before Johnson’s comments, Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Pete Ricketts (R-Nebraska) also broke ranks with Trump to celebrate the app’s ban, which took effect Sunday. Ta.
“We commend Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft for complying with the law and suspending operations of ByteDance and TikTok, and we encourage other companies to take similar action. , this law risks catastrophic bankruptcy for companies that violate it,” Cotton and Ricketts said in a statement.
“Now that this law has entered into force, there is no legal basis for any kind of “extension” of the effective date. “For TikTok to come back online in the future, ByteDance must sever all ties between TikTok and Communist China and agree to a sale that meets the law’s qualified sale requirements,” they added.
Later that day, Cotton, the new chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, responded to TikTok’s statement following news that TikTok is working to get back on its feet in the U.S. The company could face punishment. hinted at other methods. If you are able to avoid federal penalties.
“Companies that host, distribute, service, or otherwise promote the communist-controlled TikTok are facing hundreds of billions of dollars in ruinous damages under the Justice Department as well as securities laws, shareholder lawsuits, state legislatures, and other laws.” You could be held responsible for that,” he wrote to X.
Rep. Frank Pallone (DN.J.), the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, also slammed TikTok, telling X, “TikTok is trying to play the victim, but it has no one to blame but itself.” No one. ByteDance has been there for 270 days.” They’re trying to sell TikTok, but they’ve been fighting it since day one because it refuses to give up communist China’s control over Americans’ data. ”
The law does not give the president a 90-day extension without assurances that ByteDance is actually trying to sell the app to a U.S.-based company.
“The President may grant a one-time extension of up to 90 days if the President certifies to Congress that: (A) a path to effecting a qualified sale has been identified with respect to the application;” the law provides. I am doing it. , added that there must be “evidence of significant progress” towards a sale, which must include “relevant binding legal agreements enabling” the sale.
“I have no confidence in ByteDance at all,” Johnson said Sunday.
“The law is very precise and the only way to extend it is if there is an actual agreement in progress,” Johnson added. “I think President Trump is probably interested in all of this and, you know, he likes to make deals. So we want that to happen and the 270 million people who are enjoying this platform. We very much hope that Americans can enjoy it safely and without having their data mined by our nation’s enemies.”
