Staff Reports
In a plot twist that has stunned no one who’s been paying attention, President-elect Donald Trump has suddenly decided to dip his toes back into the TikTok pool. Just when you thought he was done with the app that he famously deemed a threat to American values, Trump is now heading to the U.S. Supreme Court, hoping to negotiate a solution that keeps this Chinese-owned social media nightmare afloat for a little longer.
On January 10, the Supreme Court will tackle the contentious issue of whether TikTok’s association with the Chinese Communist Party is enough of a national security threat to warrant a divestment. The law in question requires TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to hightail it out of American soil by January 19, or else face a complete shutdown. The irony here? Trump is asking for a delay on that decision just before he takes office, because why not kick the can down the road when it comes to a foreign app that’s been spying on U.S. citizens?
President @realDonaldTrump has filed a brief in our SCOTUS case challenging the TikTok ban.
He asks the Court to delay the law’s effective date (currently 1/19) so he can make a deal to save TikTok using his one-of-a-kind dealmaking ability: pic.twitter.com/BYY64zS3ul
— Jacob Huebert (@JacobHuebert) December 27, 2024
While it’s no secret that Congress has been sweating bullets over TikTok’s security implications, it seems Trump now wants the opportunity to play dealmaker before the potential ban kicks in. Backing off past rhetoric about the Chinese threat, he claims he just has a “warm spot” for TikTok. Sure, it’s easy to have warm feelings when one’s big plans rely on popular apps and the social media-savvy crowd. But now Trump wants to save that platform while still ensuring that American security doesn’t go out the window. It’s as if a wild ride through conflicting priorities is the new presidential pastime.
The TikTok camp isn’t taking this lying down either. They’ve rushed to the Supreme Court in search of an emergency pause on this law, waging legal war on the grounds that it infringes on the First Amendment rights of American users. It’s a classic tech giant move: play the free speech card while keeping a straight face about their roots in a nation that doesn’t exactly value such liberties. The audacity of these corporations knows no bounds, as they clamor to maintain access to the American market.
To bolster his case, Trump’s team filed an amicus brief that takes the high road, implying that he’s the only one who can truly navigate the choppy waters of national security versus free speech. Drafting a document that sounds more like a campaign ad than a legal argument, they proclaim that he should be the key player in any negotiations since he will be the one holding the presidential pen come January 20. It’s an interesting strategy, arguing that his vast business acumen and “deal-making expertise” are precisely what the country needs to handle legislation surrounding a social media app.
Now, with the clock ticking down to the January 19 deadline—just one day before Trump takes office—the stakes are higher than ever. Should the Supreme Court decide to grant his request for a 90-day pause, it would keep TikTok alive, and who knows, it might allow Trump to pull off the ultimate social media rescue. As the courtroom drama unfolds, it begs the question: will TikTok continue to be more than just a toxic curiosity in American life, or will it finally face the consequences of its ties to a regime that could probably write a book on surveillance? Only time will tell if this tech tango ends in victory or a critical facepalm moment for conservative Americans watching the chaos unfold.
