A last hope? Donald Trump’s strategy to try to “save” TikTok in the US

TikTok It will no longer be available in the United States from January 19 if ByteDance – owner of the application – does not sell it to national capitals. However, the arrival of Donald Trump to the White House could give a drastic turn to history. According to a report by The Washington Postthe Republican would be considering issuing an executive order to suspend said rule for 60 to 90 days.

The social network, with more than 170 million users in that country, must abide by a law approved in 2024 by Congress, which requires that application stores such as Apple and Google remove TikTok from their platforms and that the service provider in the social network cloud, Oracle, stops hosting user data in the US

The law, signed by Joe Biden, requires ByteDance to sell the app by January 19 or face an immediate ban in the United States.

It has not been specified what path the social network should follow in this blackout, but Chinese media have indicated that the company plans to disconnect immediately, so that no user can access their account.

Trump as TikTok’s “savior”

Given this situation, Trump would be seeking to present himself as the savior of the platform, despite the fact that in his first term he tried to ban it. What has caused such a change in position?

The next president has achieved great popularity on TikTok, he has more than 14 million followersTherefore, the platform is part of its strategy to reach that audience.

“TikTok holds a special place in my heart”Trump declared last month.

One of the Washington Post’s sources noted that Trump is eager to be seen as a successful negotiator, and signing an executive order just after the deadline expires — a day before his inauguration — could add a dramatic touch to the proceedings.

However, the strategy of using an executive order — a type of presidential decree that Trump used frequently at the beginning of his first term — has raised questions among some legal experts, who argue that the president cannot completely overturn a law passed by Congress with broad bipartisan support.

“Executive orders are not magical documents. They are simply press releases with prettier paper.”said Alan Rozenshtein, a former national security adviser at the Justice Department, now at the University of Minnesota. “TikTok will continue to be banned and it will be illegal for Apple and Google to do business with them. But it will make the president’s intention not to enforce the law much more official.”.

Some of the Republican’s advisors have proposed alternatives, such as selling part of the company to American companies, but the option seems quite unlikely, due to the exorbitant price of the social network ($50 billion), in addition to the political risks.

Trump allies have also considered reviving the Texas Project, a $1.5 billion corporate reform plan that TikTok unsuccessfully offered to the Biden administration to stay in business. This would have given the US government control over key TikTok decisions and a kill switch in case of security issues.

The future of TikTok in the United States remains uncertain. Although Trump seeks to position himself as the savior of the platform, legal and political restrictions mean that his strategy faces multiple obstacles.