Donald Trump opposes law that threatens TikTok with a ban in the United States. In a letter written by his lawyers and addressed to the Supreme Court on Friday, the US president-elect says he opposes this measure. “at this stage” and wanting to resolve the situation once back at the White House, on January 20, the day after the potential entry into force of this ban.
“President Trump is not taking a position on the merits of the dispute”they argue “Instead, I urge the Court to suspend the effective date of the measure’s entry into force, to allow the incoming administration to seek a negotiated outcome that avoids a nationwide shutdown of TikTok”adds the letter.
As a reminder, in April, Congress voted overwhelmingly in favor of a law requiring TikTok’s company, ByteDance, to sell its American operations before January 19, otherwise the application would be forbidden The aim is to prevent the risks of espionage and manipulation by the Chinese authorities of TikTok users, who claim 170 million in the United States.
Trump has changed his mind about TikTok
TikTok, which has repeatedly denied having passed information to the Chinese government, then returned to the Supreme Courtwhere most conservative judges sit. The high court agreed in mid-December to study the request to examine the constitutionality of this law on January 10.
Donald Trump recently met with the head of TikTok Shou Zi Chew at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, and he repeatedly expressed his support for the social network. Originally opposed to the app, the future president now believes it has allowed him to reach a younger audience and recently said he has a “weak” for her
“President Trump is the only one with the expertise to do business, the mandate at the ballot box, and the political will to negotiate a solution to save the platform while addressing the national security concerns expressed by the state.”explains the letter from his lawyers, included in the file examined by the Supreme Court.
It takes effect before Trump’s inauguration
In their appeal, TikTok and ByteDance say that “Congress has passed a massive and unprecedented restriction on free speech”. They also note that the law will be in force on the eve of the inauguration of Donald Trump.
As the lawyers of the future president in their letter: “This unfortunate timeline hinders President Trump’s ability to manage US foreign policy and seek an outcome that protects national security and safeguards a social networking platform that provides a popular service to 170 million Americans to exercise their fundamental rights under the First Amendment. of the Constitution, regarding freedom of expression.
However, Trump tried to ban TikTok in the summer of 2020, during his first term, through executive orders that did not succeed. He has since changed his mind, calling on voters attached to the network to vote for him. The Republican sees TikTok as an alternative to Facebook and Instagram, the two Meta platforms, which temporarily excluded him after the assault on the Capitol by his supporters on January 6, 2021.
