Trump says he’ll ‘probably’ give TikTok a 90-day extension to avoid ban | Real Time Headlines

President-elect Donald Trump said in a phone interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker on Saturday that he would “probably” give TikTok a 90-day reprieve after taking office on Monday. Subject to possible U.S. bans.

Trump said he had not made a final decision but was considering extending the deadline by 90 days. Sunday deadline TikTok’s Chinese parent company faces a U.S. ban if it sells it to a non-Chinese buyer.

“I think that’s certainly an option that we’re considering. A 90-day extension is the most likely to be done because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate. We have to think about it carefully. This is a very big situation, “Trump said in a phone interview.

“If I decide to do it, I’ll probably announce it on Monday,” he said.

A bipartisan law enacted last year explicitly allows for a 90-day extension under certain conditions. But Monday’s extension may not be enough to avoid app shutdowns for at least a day, as the current compliance deadline is Sunday.

The fate of TikTok is one of the topics of concern in the final days of the Biden administration, with many of the app’s millions of U.S. users eagerly awaiting resolution.

The Biden administration has repeatedly said it does not plan to enforce the law and puts the blame on Trump, but TikTok said on Friday that White House assurances may not be enough to prevent the app from shutting down. TikTok has already said it Plan to “get dark” on Sunday Unless it gets greater “clarity and assurance” about the potential legal consequences, including against third-party service providers.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called TikTok’s planned shutdown “a stunt” in a statement on Saturday morning.

“We saw TikTok’s latest statement. It was a stunt and we see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take action in the coming days before the Trump administration takes office on Monday,” she said.

“We have made our position clear and direct: action to implement this law will be the responsibility of the next government. So TikTok and other companies should raise any concerns with them,” she said.

President Joe Biden signed the law last April, requiring the app’s Beijing-based parent company ByteDance to Sell ​​it to a non-Chinese buyer or face a nationwide ban in the United States, but in recent days his aides Find ways to keep TikTok available when the law takes effect Sunday.

below lawthe president can grant a one-time 90-day extension if he certifies to Congress that three things are true: that there is a path to divestment, that “significant progress” has been made in executing the divestment, and that “there is a relevant binding legal agreement that allows for the extension period.” Perform such qualified divestitures.

Such a binding legal agreement has not yet been made public. If a last minute buyer shows up, they may need to spend Provide tens of billions of dollars in funding for TikTok’s U.S. operations.

Trump did not say whether he was aware of the progress of the recent sale.

Trump’s support for TikTok is a sharp departure from his stance during his first term, when Trump Sign executive order Not only is TikTok banned, but the Chinese messaging app WeChat is also banned. Trump’s attempt was subsequently blocked by the courts. His reversal occurred in he met briefly Last year, one of the app’s billionaire investors.

Lawmakers who support sale or ban Said it was necessary to take some action Because of Bytedance’s relationship with the Chinese government, they believe the Chinese government should not have control over the major media properties that can be used for promotional purposes. They also cited the app’s collection of personal data from U.S. citizens.

TikTok fans protest possible sale or ban, including via downloads Other Chinese applications such as RedNote despite potential Security Question Also about these apps.

Friday, Supreme Court upheld the lawrejecting the app’s free speech argument in an unsigned and undissented opinion.

Ahead of the Supreme Court’s ruling, Trump asked the court to suspend the law and for his administration to take some time to find alternative solutions to banning the app.

After Friday’s ruling, Trump wrote on TruthSocial“The Supreme Court’s decision is expected and everyone must respect it. My decision on TikTok will be made in the near future, but I must have time to review the situation, so stay tuned!”

In the past, he has expressed support for keeping the app available to U.S. users, citing the high number of views his TikTok account receives.

TikTok CEO Shou Chew expected to attend Trump attended the inauguration ceremony on Monday with other top tech leaders.

On Friday, Chew said TikTok’s future remains uncertain Thank you Trump for your efforts Keep the app running in the United States

Even before the Supreme Court’s ruling, Biden administration officials said they would not enforce the law on Sunday, Biden’s final day in office.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement after the ruling: “Given the critical nature of time, this administration recognizes that action to implement this law must rest with the next administration that takes office on Monday.

TikTok said: “Today’s statement from the Biden White House and the Department of Justice fails to provide necessary clarity and assurance to service providers who are integral to maintaining TikTok’s service to more than 170 million Americans. ” Said in X’s post.

“TikTok will be forced to shut down on January 19 unless the Biden administration immediately provides a clear statement that satisfies the demands of the most critical service providers and ensures that they are not implemented,” the statement added.