Biden won't enforce TikTok ban, official says, leaving fate of app to Trump [View all]
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden won’t enforce a ban on the social media app TikTok that is set to take effect a day before he leaves office on Monday, a U.S. official said Thursday, leaving its fate in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump.
Congress last year, in a law signed by Biden, required that TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance divest the company by Jan. 19, a day before the presidential inauguration. The official said the outgoing administration was leaving the implementation of the law — and the potential enforcement of the ban — to Trump.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal Biden administration thinking.
Trump, who once called to ban the app, has since pledged to keep it available in the U.S., though his transition team has not said how they intend to accomplish that.
https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-trump-executive-order-1e95d9836bf6f8c0c245ed1c3234d968
also:
TikTok CEO to attend Trump inauguration as app's ban looms
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew intends to attend President-elect Trump's inauguration next week and is expected to sit on the dais alongside other prominent guests, a Trump transition source confirmed to Axios Thursday.
Why it matters: News of his invite comes as TikTok's fate hangs in the balance, with the U.S. ban of the popular platform set to take effect on Sunday, barring any eleventh-hour intervention.
Driving the news: The Trump Vance Inaugural Committee issued the invitation to Chew, the Trump transition source said.
He will join other tech industry titans at the inauguration, including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos, according to the New York Times, which first reported the news.
https://www.axios.com/2025/01/16/tiktok-ceo-trump-inauguration-ban