Trump’s expected to try nixing the TikTok ban as the tok-onomy roller coaster scrolls on
The Rizzler endures… The For You Page could live to see another scroll. President-elect Trump’s key allies expect him to try to reverse TikTok’s looming US ban, making good on his campaign promise — and backpedaling on his 2020 attempt to block the app nationwide. As of now, TikTok’s Chinese parent, ByteDance, has until January 19 to separate from the app or be banned in the States. If ByteDance doesn’t divest, then app stores including Apple’s and Google’s could face huge fines if they keep offering TikTok. The ban-or-divest deadline is one day before Trump’s inauguration.
Hard stop: Trump’s chances of stopping the ban could improve should President Biden extend the deadline before leaving office, or if TikTok wins its court case. Legal experts expect TikTok will lose its appeal and escalate its case to SCOTUS.
Cloudy outlook: Some of Trump’s Cabinet picks, including Sen. Marco Rubio, Gov. Kristi Noem, and Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, have supported or enacted smaller-scale TikTok bans in recent years.
Posting through it… Having the Tik-ban wiped off the books would be welcome news for advertisers, influencers, and a lot of its 170M US users. Industries including beauty, music, and apparel have grown to depend on Tok-driven demand and would likely celebrate the ring lights staying on. But it’d be a big disappointment to attention-economy rivals like Meta and YouTube, which looked poised to scoop up billions of TikTok’s US ad $$.
Everyone’s fighting it out in the comments… Public approval for banning TikTok collapsed from 50% last year to 32% this summer. But many lawmakers and safety experts haven’t changed their tune on the national-security risks posed by ByteDance. Advertisers have mostly kept up business as usual: despite the ban, 70% said they’re planning to increase their TikTok spend next year.