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© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.TikTok says it's restoring service to U.S. users based on Trump's promised executive order
By HALELUYA HADERO WASHINGTON©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.
37 Comments
TaiwanIsNotChina
What were they too stupid not to prevent the app from stopping functioning in the first place? Also this is now Trump's problem to demonstrate how he is winning bigly.
BeerDeliveryGuy
Ok lemme get this straight.
2020 Trump:
This TikTok grandfather’s Clock is a a threat. I don’t like it.
2020 Dems: GenZ of AMERIKA! Trump is trying to take away your freedom of expression!
2023 Dems: Urrt the MAGA deplorables learned how to use TikTok! Ban it immediately!
2024 Trump: Well TikTak is a very good, very strong mint candy. Maybe the strongest. Agent whispers in ear
Oh, I mean, TikTok may have some merit if we can buy it and make it great and American. Let’s make a deal.
Tokyo Guy
So on his first day in office he's going to resolve the Ukraine situation, ensure the ceasefire in the middle East holds, arrest and deport like every illegal in the country, decide on TikTok's future, and presumably have time to watch whatever news channel will tell the biggest lie about his inauguration.
That would be quite a first day.
maxjapank
I do not use TikTok and live in Japan, so the ban doesn't affect me either way. But when 352 Congressmen, 79 Senators, and the Supreme Court 9-0, uphold a ban or forced sale, it makes me wonder why. I know that some have come out and said that there wasn't any substantial proof of a National Security threat. But the votes were very much one-sided by both Dems and Republicans.
Blacklabel
Thanks President Trump!
TorafusuTorasan
GOP flip flops over the safety of this app risks confusing the tender youth, one of whom already burned the office of a GOP congressperson over his TikTok stance.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Except for all your statements about the Dems you are 100% correct.
TorafusuTorasan
GOP hardliner Senators Tom Cotton and Pete Ricketts say there is no legal basis for granting an extension to ByteDance to sell the app. Lets see if Trump flips on them for going along with his 2020 executive order to take down TikTok.
Garthgoyle
If it's based on what Trump said, well... He said he would end the Russia/Ukraine war with one phone call, even before he got sworn.
Also, why is Trump interested in saving TilTok now? What changed?
Geeter Mckluskie
It's going to be a long 4 years for you. You might want to pace yourself
Tokyo Guy
I could be wrong, but wasn't it TikTokers who pranked Trump by grabbing free tickets to his events and then never showing up, thus leading to half empty venues? They sort of teamed up with some K-pop fans.
I would have thought that would have been enough to drive the felon in chief into enough of a rage to try and get it banned then and there.
Maybe there's a more powerful player involved. And by powerful, I mean of course richer.
lincolnman
Trump wins an award! He's gets a "Full Flip-Flop" for his "180" on Tik-Tok...
Trump 2020: "President Donald Trump issued an executive order late Thursday prohibiting transactions with the parent company of the popular video-sharing app TikTok. The order, set to take effect on Sept. 20, bars Americans and U.S. companies from conducting transactions with the Chinese tech giant ByteDance, citing “national security” concerns."
Trump 2025: "Trump said he planned to issue the executive order to give TikTok’s China-based parent company more time to find an approved buyer before the ban takes full effect."
So what changed? Do you really have to ask?
Just like with immigration, a bunch of ultra-rich businessmen made $million donations to Trump - and he FLIPPED...
It's the way things work in MAGA-world - there are no values or issues - there's just dollars.
Trump would ban all guns in the US in a heartbeat if a bunch of rich dudes gave him ten million...
Face it MAGA-friends - you got played...
onedragon
I am in California, and most of the tech guys want to give the Trump administration a chance.
His win is nothing like his first time around. The left is leaning Trump.
Geeter Mckluskie
And let us now welcome the 47th President of the United States of America
yakyak
The issue is not the app. The issue is the Chinese government collects all data from users worldwide.
Yes, this is a national security threat for any country. The solution is to sell off the US version to an American company or shut it down. The shutdown was to take place just before the inauguration and Trump needs to be the President and understand all that is involved so the app can be creatively sold to an American company and use the administration's skills so as not to offend the Chinese. There is a lot of money and politics in play here. Biden could never close that deal.
isabelle
This fallacious argument yet again. The ban does not contravene the First Amendment (as confirmed even by the Trump-staffed SCOTUS), and it censors precisely nothing.
The reason is that it's not the "speech" which would be banned, but the platform. People can still post exactly the same speech: just not on a platform that is controlled by an aggressive, totalitarian state.
isabelle
Yes, as I mentioned on another thread, Trump's reversal is likely due -- at least in part -- to one of his major donors having a huge stake in TikTok.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trumps-tiktok-ban-reversal-after-meeting-megadonor-stake/story?id=108013785
My take (and that of many others) is that he cares more for himself and money than protecting the country from an enemy state that can use TikTok to harvest data, control what millions of people do and don't see, and promote pro-CCP narratives and disinformation.
antibotter
How it actually happened:
deanzaZZR
Holy smokes. This seems really dangerous if true! Please provide the evidence that "the Chinese government collects all data from users worldwide". I am also curious, if true, for what purpose? Do the old guys want to learn a new dance move to bust out on the dance floor?
lincolnman
Trump, once again, showing how much he supports Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness...
Just like with immigration where he sided with his uber-rich Top 1% buddies and shafted his anti-immigrant base, Trump is now siding with the Chinese over his own national security experts...how's that for diversity and inclusiveness...
Who'd have think - MAGA is really going to be "Make Wokeness Great Again"....
ROFL...
Blacklabel
170 million people (voters and future voters) wanted this, President Trump gave it to them. They now owe him a sense of gratitude.
they should not be allowed to conveniently forget who turned it off against their wishes and who heard their voices and turned it back on for the people.
lincolnman
President Xi and I imagine more than 170 million Chinese...
I'm sure Xi and his fellow Communists are extremely grateful...to find out how much, all you have to do us look for the payoff in Trump's secret Chinese bank account...
isabelle
Perhaps you missed my comment to you on the other thread that says:
1) I could provide links, but you won't read them and will likely dismiss them as fake news, as you usually do, so I won't waste my time.
2) China's 2017 National Intelligence Law compels all citizens to assist in matters of state security (defined arbitrarily by the CCP). Therefore, even if TikTok/ByteDance has done nothing wrong (and it certainly has), this alone is enough to ban TikTok as, in cases of national security, you don't wait for "evidence" that an enemy state has done you wrong: you act to prevent this before it happens.
Absolutely anything it wants, either now or at any time in the future.
That's why it's so dangerous for an enemy state like the PRC to have the information in the first place.
deanzaZZR
Yeah, I quickly read that dross last night and rightfully ignored it. TikTok is a registered company in the USA and thusly operates under USA law.
But since you are here again, do provide proof that TikTok is a national security threat. Surely Congress would provide such proof in the hearings, debates, etc. before forcing the sale of a company worth billions of dollars. Looking forward to this concrete proof.
isabelle
The ban was enacted by lawmakers elected via the people in a democratic process.
Nothing was done against the wishes of the electorate.
isabelle
Then, you will learn nothing, and likely remain stuck in a pro-PRC bubble.
Spend my time so you can ignore it again? No thanks.
If you really wish to learn about the issues (and I sincerely hope you do), you can easily find this information yourself. It would be far better than remaining stuck in a pro-PRC bubble, but the choice is obviously yours.
OssanAmerica
The US Supreme Court upheld the ban on TikTok. It's a far greater security issue than US Steel being bought by an ally.
Why the Trump 180? What did Xi offer him? LOL
lincolnman
Wow, has there ever been a bigger FLIP-FLOP than this?
Trump 2023: "Has anybody noticed that everyone wants to go after, and destroy, TIKTOK due to China influence and National Security," he says on Truth Social. "When I wanted to disable TIKTOK 3 years ago, I was met with opposition from RINOS [Republicans In Name Only] to Democrats to everyone else. They actually went to court in an effort to stop me. Now they realize I was right, and have changed their tune."
Trump 2025: "Why would I want to ban TikTok?"
Yep, I guess you could call that a "change of tune"...or maybe "how much was the payoff and bribe?"
jib
Yes, that is exactly what he will do. Welcome to a new golden age in the USA!
TaiwanIsNotChina
My popcorn is ready. The Dunning-Kruger is strong with your team.
Jind
Trump does not have the authority to issue a 90 extension unless only if a viable sale was underway.
There is none.
It's just an app and let it go.
rocketpig
That's why it's so dangerous for an enemy state like the PRC to have the information in the first place...And the reason why we all should not eat Chinese food as your DNA will get into the wrong hands
Fos
Not a shred evidence was found on ByteDance, simply the witch hunt is back in Washington, together with a new level of McCarthyism. Welcome to America! And China will consolidate his hegemony in Asia thanks to the US idiotic policies
Peter14
Musk is in Trumps ear, and Musk is indebted to China to keep Tesla factories there churning out his stuff. Its a dirty Trump Tar pit, and once your stuck in it good luck freeing yourself.
lostrune2
Let's not forget that Republican Congressmen wouldn't have voted to ban Tiktok if Trump didn't say he wanted to ban Tiktok in the first place
Trump vilified Tiktok his first time around, and his MAGA supporters followed his lead and worked to get it banned
Someone can challenge that Executive Order in court
deanzaZZR
Let's not forget that the bill was rushed through Congress with no meaningful debate or committee hearings and was bundled with a separate humanitarian bill.
TaiwanIsNotChina
That's because there was bipartisan consensus that China needs to be out of our information ecosystem.