Many tech leaders and corporations have courted President-elect Donald J. Trump in current weeks. From Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg to Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos, they’ve visited Mr. Trump at Mar-a-Lago, flattered him on X and donated to his inaugural fund.
However TikTok has taken these strategies to the following stage.
Because the Chinese language-owned social app fights a federal legislation that bans it in the US until it’s bought, it publicly referenced after which thanked Mr. Trump for his help in statements and in movies since Friday. It even constructed its flattery proper into the app so its 170 million American customers may see it:
“Because of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is again within the U.S.!,” a pop-up message on Sunday learn.
TikTok’s chief government, Shou Chew, filmed his personal thank-you video to Mr. Trump final week, even referring to the president’s private TikTok account. Mr. Chew has additionally visited Mr. Trump at Mar-a-Lago, and has been invited to take a seat able of honor on the dais at Mr. Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
TikTok “will go to any lengths to please the authorities” whereas going through this ban, mentioned Anupam Chander, a professor of legislation and know-how at Georgetown College and an professional on the worldwide regulation of latest applied sciences.
“TikTok is searching for the president’s favor in these methods as a result of their very existence on this nation will depend on him,” Mr. Chander mentioned in an interview on Sunday. “He’s their lifeline and so they’re ensuring that they keep on his good facet.”
TikTok didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Mr. Trump might not be capable to save the app within the long-term as he has declared. He vowed early Sunday to concern an government order to offer ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese language proprietor, extra time to make a sale that might fulfill the legislation, however it’s not clear if he can prolong the timeline now that the legislation has taken impact — or if he has a sale in thoughts that might meet the phrases of the legislation. Mr. Trump seems to be dedicated. Even earlier than his put up promising an government order, he posted to the social media platform Reality Social in all-caps: “SAVE TIKTOK!”
The Biden administration additionally sought to make it clear this weekend that TikTok didn’t have to shut down on Sunday to fulfill the legislation, calling the choice to go darkish “a stunt.”
“We now have laid out our place clearly and straightforwardly: actions to implement this legislation will fall to the following administration,” Karine Jean-Pierre, the White Home press secretary, mentioned in an announcement.
Mr. Trump’s help for TikTok is comparatively new. Throughout his first time period, he tried to ban the app within the nation until ByteDance bought it to an American firm.
However in March 2024, he flipped his stance, across the time of a gathering with Jeff Yass, a billionaire investor and Republican megadonor who owns a major share of ByteDance. Mr. Trump has said they did not talk about the corporate. Mr. Yass helped discovered the buying and selling agency Susquehanna Worldwide Group.
TikTok has additionally sought a line into Republicans and the Trump marketing campaign via Tony Sayegh, a former Treasury official in Mr. Trump’s administration. Mr. Sayegh, who leads public affairs for Susquehanna, was a core a part of the Trump marketing campaign’s determination to affix TikTok this summer season.
Mr. Trump was an instant hit on TikTok, the place he now has over 14 million followers. A number of members of his household, together with Donald Trump Jr. and his granddaughter Kai Trump, have additionally joined the app.
