President Joe Biden appears to be backpedaling on the TikTok ban he signed last year. His administration is now saying it won’t enforce the law that will boot the popular platform from app stores, which is scheduled to begin on Sunday, the day before he leaves office.
“Americans shouldn’t expect to see TikTok suddenly banned on Sunday,” an unnamed official told NBC News earlier this week. The official also said the government is “exploring options” for a way to keep the app available to Americans. It was later reported that Biden won’t enforce the ban.
Democrats in Congress have also been working to stave off a ban, despite the fact that they largely supported the ban legislation. Punchbowl News reported on Friday that party members have been trying to get Biden to invoke a provision that would delay the ban for 90 days. “It’s clear that more time is needed to find an American buyer and not disrupt the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans, of so many influencers who have built up a good network of followers,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor.
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) introduced legislation earlier this week to delay the deadline, saying the ban would “impose serious consequences on millions of Americans who depend on the app for social connections and their economic livelihood.” He has also raised concerns about the free speech implications of a ban.
Biden reportedly won’t fine companies for keeping the app in their app stores when the ban goes into effect on Sunday, but the administration has stopped short of triggering a 90-day extension — which would require the president to certify that real progress has been made toward a sale.
Last year, Biden signed a bipartisan bill into law requiring ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, to divest and find an outside buyer for the app by this Sunday. The Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the law is constitutional, clearing the way for it to take effect on Sunday.
Congress passed the legislation out of national security concerns related to China controlling the data of the 170 million Americans who use the platform, and potentially controlling content to influence Americans. Many users are migrating to the Chinese app RedNote ahead of the scheduled TikTok ban.
Ultimately, the decision will be up to Trump. “Given the sheer fact of timing, this administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next administration, which takes office on Monday,” Biden Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Friday.
Trump once called to ban TikTok, but said more recently that he wants to keep the app available. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is planning to attend Trump’s inauguration.
“Why would I want to get rid of TikTok?” Trump posted on Truth Social earlier this month, sharing a graphic that shows data of the Team Trump account generating 2.4 billion views.
On Friday, Trump said that he spoke with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and that they discussed TikTok. “We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects. President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
TikTok generates tens of billions of dollars for the U.S. economy, according to a report commissioned by TikTok. The report found the app supported nearly 225,000 jobs and contributed nearly $25 billion to the national GDP.