Image credit: The Byteline

President-elect Donald Trump has suggested that TikTok should be allowed to continue operating in the United States, at least temporarily, citing the platform’s pivotal role in his presidential campaign.

Speaking to a crowd of conservative supporters in Phoenix, Arizona, Trump revealed that his campaign had garnered billions of views on TikTok, calling it a record-breaking and "beautiful" accomplishment.

The remarks mark one of Trump’s clearest indications that he opposes the potential exit of TikTok from the U.S. market, a scenario that could unfold if its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, fails to comply with a U.S. Senate law passed in April.

The law requires ByteDance to divest its ownership of the app, citing national security risks due to alleged ties to the Chinese government.

TikTok has challenged the legislation, and the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case. However, without a favorable ruling or a divestment, TikTok could face a nationwide ban on January 19, a day before Trump assumes office.

Trump’s comments hinted at a willingness to reconsider the TikTok divestiture order, though it remains unclear how he might navigate the overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation.

During the AmericaFest event, organized by the conservative group Turning Point, Trump referenced his campaign’s success on the platform, saying, “They brought me a chart, and it was a record... I said, ‘Maybe we gotta keep this sucker around for a little while.’”

The president-elect’s remarks follow a recent meeting with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. At a press conference on Monday, Trump described his sentiments toward the app, stating he had developed a "warm spot" for TikTok due to its effectiveness in reaching voters during his campaign.

Despite Trump’s comments, the Justice Department and U.S. lawmakers remain steadfast in their concerns about TikTok’s ties to China. Federal officials argue that ByteDance’s control poses ongoing national security risks.

TikTok, however, has pushed back against these claims, emphasizing that its user data and content recommendation engine are stored in the United States on Oracle Corp servers, with moderation decisions for U.S. users handled domestically.

As the Supreme Court prepares to weigh in, TikTok’s fate hangs in the balance, with Trump’s comments introducing a new layer of complexity to the debate over the app’s future in the U.S. market.

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