TikTok gets reprieve from ban as Trump signs executive order — after China signals it is open to deal

TikTok got its promised reprieve from a national ban on Monday as President Donald Trump issued an executive order that extended a lifeline to the China-owned app.

In the presidential action, Trump ordered the attorney general not to take any action on the popular video-sharing app for 75 days “to permit my administration an opportunity to determine the appropriate course of action with respect to TikTok.”

It also directs the Justice Department to issue letters to companies like Google and Oracle that work with TikTok “stating that there has been no violation of the statute and that there is no liability for any conduct that occurred during the above-specified period.”

When asked what TikTok order does, Trump said “just gave me the right to sell it or close it,” adding that he needed to make a decision.

Trumps move comes after China signaled earlier in the day that for the first time it would be open to a deal to keep TikTok in the US market after steadfastly opposing any sale.

Chinas foreign ministry told a regular news briefing on Monday that it believed companies should decide independently about their operations and deals.

TikTok has operated in the US for many years and is deeply loved by American users, ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.

We hope that the US can earnestly listen to the voice of reason and provide an open, fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for firms operating there.

TikTok, used by 170 million Americans, was briefly taken offline for US users on Saturday, hours before a law that said it must be sold by its Chinese owner ByteDance on national security grounds took effect.

Access was restored less than 12 hours later after Trump vowed to issue the executive order that would assure the company and its business partners they would not face hefty fines to keep it running.

Frankly, we have no choice. We have to save it, Trump said at a rally on Sunday, adding that the US will seek a joint venture to buy TikTok.

The app and website were operational on Monday, but TikTok was still not available for download in the Apple and Google app stores, suggesting the two companies were waiting for clearer legal assurances.

Trump saving TikTok represents a reversal in stance from his first term in office. In 2020, he aimed to ban the app over concerns the company was sharing Americans personal info with the Chinese government.

More recently, Trump has said he has a warm spot in my heart for TikTok, crediting the app with helping him win over young voters in the 2024 presidential election.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew attended a service at St. Johns Episcopal Church in Washington with Trump before the inauguration.

The debate over TikTok comes at a tense moment in US-China relations.

Trump has said he intends to place tariffs on China but has also indicated he hopes to have more direct contact with China’s leader.

Not everyone in Trump’s Republican Party agreed with efforts to get around the law and “save TikTok.”

On Sunday, Republican Sens. Tom Cotton and Pete Ricketts said in a joint statement: “Now that the law has taken effect, there is no legal basis for any kind of ‘extension’ of its effective date. For TikTok to come back online in the future, ByteDance must agree to a sale that satisfies the law’s qualified-divestiture requirements by severing all ties between TikTok and Communist China.”

The US has never banned a major social media platform.

The law passed overwhelmingly by Congress gives the incoming Trump administration sweeping authority to ban or seek the sale of other Chinese-owned apps.