Tiktok Ceo Flatters Trump Ahead Of Us Ban Deadline

In his first relationship since nan Supreme Court upheld a norm that could prohibition TikTok from nan US connected Sunday, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew offered nary penetration into what would hap to nan app successful conscionable a less days. Instead, he took nan opportunity to entreaty to President-elect Donald Trump.

“I want to convey President Trump for his committedness to activity pinch america to find a solution that keeps TikTok disposable successful nan United States,” Chew says successful a video connected nan platform. “We are grateful and pleased to personification nan support of a President who genuinely understands our level — 1 who has utilized TikTok to definitive his ain thoughts and perspectives, connecting pinch nan world and generating overmuch than 60 cardinal views of his contented successful nan process.”

In discussing Trump’s TikTok views, Chew is speaking his language. After all, nan incoming president is celebrated for keeping adjacent tabs connected his TV ratings, and precocious declared he had a “warm spot” for TikTok aft seeing really nan level played a domiciled successful his campaign. It’s TikTok’s astir nationalist effort to nutrient Trump up earlier he takes complete nan Oval Office connected Monday (one clip aft nan prohibition takes effect), but Chew has already visited him astatine Mar-a-Lago and plans to beryllium his inauguration, connected pinch respective different tech CEOs.

Trump has antecedently declared his volition to prevention TikTok, but has not said really he’d do so. After Friday’s Supreme Court ruling, he asked nan nationalist to “respect it” and said, “My determination connected TikTok will beryllium made successful nan not excessively distant future, but I must personification clip to reappraisal nan situation.” Earlier connected Friday he said he’d spoken pinch China’s President Xi Jinping astir TikTok among different things, calling it a “very good” call.

Chew’s relationship seems to bespeak that TikTok believes appealing to Trump is now its astir promising measurement to remaining viable successful nan US. Even so, Trump’s options are somewhat limited. The astir effective path, if he could execute it, would beryllium to someway supplier a woody to get ByteDance (with China’s allowance) to discarded TikTok and comply pinch nan law’s divestiture requirements. Otherwise, he could instruct his Justice Department not to enforce nan ban, perchance done an executive bid — but that mightiness not beryllium tin to reassure companies for illustration Apple, Google, and Oracle that they won’t consequence superior penalties continuing to proviso activity for TikTok.

In nan meantime, we still don’t cognize really TikTok itself will grip nan impending ban, which takes effect nan clip earlier Trump is sworn in. The institution has reportedly planned to spell acheronian successful nan US successful that case. “Rest assured, we will do everything successful our powerfulness to guarantee our level thrives arsenic your online location for limitless productivity and discovery, arsenic bully arsenic a guidelines of inspiration and joyousness for years to come,” Chew says. “More to come.”