Lawyers representing President-elect Donald Trump have asked the Supreme Court to suspend a law requiring TikTok owner ByteDance to sell short-form video apps or be barred from entering the United States.
If the app is not sold, the ban is scheduled to go into effect just a few weeks later, on January 19th. ByteDance is challenging the constitutionality of the law (officially known as the Protecting Americans from Applications Controlled by Foreign Adversaries Act) to the Supreme Court. Argument is scheduled for January 10th.
In a new filing, Trump's lawyers called the deadline for a ban or sale the day before Inauguration Day “unfortunate timing” that would impede his “ability to manage the foreign policy of the United States.” .
The filing does not specify what approach President Trump would take on the issue, but said he would “negotiate a resolution that preserves the platform while addressing the national security concerns expressed.” Trump is the only one with the perfect deal-making expertise, electoral authority, and political will to do so.” by the government. ”
The filing also notes that he currently has 14.7 million followers on TikTok, which “allows him to appreciate the importance of TikTok as a unique medium of free expression, including core political speech.” .
Supporters of the law argue that TikTok is a national security threat because the Chinese government could use it to collect data and broadcast propaganda to U.S. viewers. . Trump tried to ban TikTok during his first term in office, but recently expressed support for the app. During the presidential campaign, he posted on Truth Social: “Everyone who wants to save TikTok in America should vote for Trump!”
Several civil liberties and free speech organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier, filed their own briefs in support of TikTok's appeal, stating that “the government does not believe there are any ongoing or imminent threats caused by TikTok.” “They have not provided any reliable evidence of damages.”