US President-elect Donald Trump stated on Saturday that he would “most likely” grant TikTok a 90-day delay from a potential ban after he assumes office on Monday. This comes as the app, with 170 million American users, faces an impending shutdown set for Sunday.
“The 90-day extension is something that will most likely be done because it’s appropriate,” Trump told NBC. “If I decide to do that, I’ll probably announce it on Monday.”
Users who logged on late Saturday saw a message indicating that the law would “force us to make our services temporarily unavailable,” with TikTok assuring efforts to restore its service in the US as soon as possible.
The Chinese-owned app, which has captivated nearly half of all Americans, is set to go dark on Sunday unless President Joe Biden’s administration assures companies like Apple and Google that they won’t face enforcement actions when the ban takes effect.
A law passed last year and upheld by a unanimous Supreme Court ruling on Friday requires the platform to either sever ties with its China-based parent company, ByteDance, or shut down its US operations by Sunday, citing national security concerns.
The White House emphasized on Saturday that action on the matter is up to the incoming administration, increasing the likelihood of the ban going into effect on Sunday. “We see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take actions in the next few days before the Trump administration takes office on Monday,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
TikTok did not comment on the new White House statement, while the Chinese embassy in Washington accused the US of unfairly suppressing TikTok, warning that China would take necessary measures to protect its rights.
Meanwhile, TikTok users braced for the potential shutdown, with some filming themselves sharing final thoughts and scrambling to post content before the app is banned.
“Does anyone know if the TikTok ban goes into effect on Sunday or if we have all of Sunday to like brain rot still? I need to plan accordingly,” fitness influencer Britany Williams joked in a video to her 64,000 followers.
Oracle, the main cloud computing provider for TikTok’s US operations, has reportedly instructed some staff to prepare for the shutdown of servers hosting US TikTok data as early as 9 p.m. ET on Saturday (0200 GMT on Sunday). Oracle CEO Safra Catz is expected to authorize the final server shutdown, according to The Information.
The Supreme Court’s ruling upheld the ban on national security grounds, but without a formal decision by Biden to delay, companies providing services to TikTok face significant financial liability. While Trump could direct the Justice Department to “deprioritize” enforcement, it’s unclear if this would protect Apple and Google, which provide essential services for TikTok.
Trump had attempted to ban and force the divestment of TikTok in 2020, but US courts blocked his efforts.
