President Joe Biden will not enforce a ban on the social media app TikTok that is set to take effect on January 19, leaving its fate in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump. The ban was required by a law signed by Biden, which requires TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance to divest the company by January 19.
According to a U.S. official, the outgoing administration is leaving the implementation of the law and the potential enforcement of the ban to Trump. Trump has pledged to keep TikTok available in the U.S., but his transition team has not said how they intend to accomplish that.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is expected to attend Trump’s inauguration and be granted a prime seating location on the dais. Incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz has signaled that the incoming administration may take steps to “keep TikTok from going dark.”
The push to save TikTok has crossed partisan lines, with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer advocating for extending the deadline to ban TikTok. Schumer said that more time is needed to find an American buyer and not disrupt the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans.
However, Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas blocked a Democratic attempt to pass legislation that would have extended the deadline, saying that TikTok has had ample time to find a buyer. Cotton has been a vocal critic of TikTok, calling it a “Chinese Communist spy app” that addicts children and harvests their data.
The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the law soon, and if it upholds the law, Trump has said that he will protect TikTok users’ data and keep the app available in the U.S.