President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court on Friday to pause a potential TikTok ban from taking effect until his administration can pursue a “political solution” to the issue.
The request came as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs with the court. The company argued that the court should strike down the law that could ban the platform by January 19, while the government emphasized its position that the law should be repealed. National security risk.
“President Trump takes no position on the fundamental merits of this dispute. Instead, he respectfully requests that the court consider maintaining the Act’s sale deadline of January 19, 2025 as it considers the merits of this case,” said President Trump’s amicus brief, authored by D. John. Neither side was supported in this case. Sauer, Trump’s choice for attorney general.
The claims submitted to the court are the latest example of Trump meddling in national affairs before taking office. The Republican president-elect has already begun negotiations with other countries over plans to impose tariffs and intervened earlier this month on a plan to fund the federal government, rejecting a bipartisan plan and sending Republicans back to the negotiating table. .
He has been holding meetings with foreign leaders and business officials at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida as he forms his administration, including a meeting with TikTok CEO Shou Chew last week.
Trump reversed his stance on the popular app when he attempted to ban it during his first term, citing national security concerns. He joined TikTok during the 2024 presidential campaign, and his team used it to connect with younger voters, especially male voters, by pushing content that was often macho and aimed at going viral.
He said earlier this year that he still believes TikTok poses a national security risk but is opposed to banning it.
Friday’s filing comes ahead of oral arguments scheduled for Jan. 10 on whether the law requiring TikTok to divest from its China-based parent company or face a ban unlawfully restricts speech in violation of the First Amendment. The bill was signed by President Joe Biden in April after passing Congress with broad bipartisan support. TikTok and ByteDance later filed legal action.
Earlier this month, a three-judge panel of federal judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously upheld the statute, and TikTok appealed the case to the Supreme Court.
President Trump said in the briefing that he opposes a ban on TikTok at this intersection and that he “seeks the ability to resolve the issues we face through political means once he takes office.”
In a brief filed with the Supreme Court on Friday, lawyers for TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, said the federal appeals court’s ruling was erroneous and based its decision on “the alleged ‘risk’ that China could exert control” over TikTok’s U.S. platforms. claimed to do so. Foreign affiliates.
The Biden administration argued in court that TikTok poses a national security risk because of its ties to China. Officials say Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand over information about TikTok’s U.S. backers or use the platform to spread or suppress information.
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But the government “acknowledges that there is no evidence that China has attempted to do so,” TikTok’s legal filing said, adding that U.S. fears were based on future risks.
In a filing Friday, the Biden administration said TikTok’s corporate structure poses risks because it is “integrated with ByteDance and relies on a proprietary engine developed and maintained in China.”
