Trump requests US Supreme Court to halt law that could lead to TikTok ban

US President-elect Donald Trump filed a brief on Friday urging the Supreme Court to pause a law that would ban TikTok on January 20 if it is not sold by its Chinese owner, ByteDance.

In his brief, Trump's legal team argued that due to the complexity of the case, the court should delay the statutory deadline to allow more time for addressing the issues, giving Trump "the opportunity to pursue a political resolution."

Trump, who strongly opposed TikTok during his first term as president, had previously attempted to ban the app on national security grounds, citing concerns that the Chinese government could access US users' data or manipulate the content shown on the platform. These claims were denied by both TikTok and the Chinese government.

Trump had also pushed for a US company to acquire TikTok, with the government benefiting from the sale, a stance later echoed by his successor Joe Biden, who signed a law to ban the app for similar reasons. However, Trump has since reversed his position.

At a recent press conference, Trump stated that he has "a warm spot" for TikTok and that his administration would review the app and the potential ban. Earlier this month, he met with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

Trump told Bloomberg that he had changed his views on TikTok, saying, "Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm for TikTok, because you need competition. If you don't have TikTok, you have Facebook and Instagram—and that's, you know, that's Zuckerberg."

Trump's brief filed on Friday did not take a stance on the legal merits of the case. His lawyer, John Sauer, wrote in the amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief that Trump was merely asking the court to delay the divestment deadline of January 19, 2025, to allow the incoming administration to pursue a political resolution.

In response to the case, a coalition of free speech groups, including the ACLU, also filed a brief urging the Supreme Court to block the law, citing concerns about censorship. They argued that such a ban would disrupt Americans' ability to engage freely with online content and audiences.

The Supreme Court agreed last week to hear TikTok's appeal against President Biden's push to force ByteDance to sell the app or face a ban, with oral arguments scheduled for January 10. TikTok argues that the law, known as the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, infringes on its First Amendment rights.