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President Donald Trump has signed an executive order delaying the enforcement of a federal ban on TikTok for 75 days.

Some shit you should know before you read: Earlier this year, Congress overwhelmingly approved a federal law requiring TikTok to separate from its Chinese-owned parent company, ByteDance, by January 19, or face a nationwide ban. The legislation, passed in April as part of a broader foreign aid package, garnered bipartisan support, with a 352-65 vote in the House and a 79-18 vote in the Senate. Lawmakers expressed significant concerns about national security, citing fears that TikTok could allow the Chinese government to access US user data, engage in surveillance, or promote propaganda through TikTok’s algorithm. The law initially mandated that TikTok divest from ByteDance to continue operating in the US and directed companies like Apple and Google to remove TikTok from app stores if compliance is not met by January 19, 2024.

Trump

What’s going on now: Yesterday, President Trump signed an executive order delaying the enforcement of a federal ban on TikTok for 75 days, citing the need to explore a resolution that safeguards national security while keeping the app available for its 170 million US users. The executive order directs the Attorney General not to enforce the law temporarily, despite it having already taken effect. Trump explained his rationale by saying, “The US should get half of TikTok… I think we would have a joint venture. If I don’t do the deal, it’s worth nothing. If I do the deal, it’s worth a trillion dollars.”

He added that his administration is working to “pursue a resolution that protects national security while saving a platform used by millions of Americans.” However, legal experts and lawmakers have raised questions about whether the president has the authority to halt enforcement of a law passed by Congress and upheld by the Supreme Court.

Some Republicans are not happy: Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), have been critical of any move to delay enforcement, insisting that TikTok should remain banned unless its Chinese owner, ByteDance, fully divests. In a joint statement, the two said, “We commend Apple, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft for halting operations with ByteDance and TikTok, and we encourage other companies to do the same.” They added that “the law risks ruinous bankruptcy for any company who violates it.”

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