Trump order defers TikTok ban, legality questioned

TikTok — which was supposed to have been shut down in the U.S. on Sunday following a law that required its divestiture by Chinese parent firm ByteDance due to national security risks — had its operational ban postponed 75 days following an executive order signed by President Donald Trump just hours after his inauguration, according to Reuters.

Such signing was accompanied by Trump's suggestion of government co-ownership of TikTok's U.S. business while threatening China with potential tariffs should a U.S. deal for the social media platform fail. "There's no value. So if we create that value, why aren't we entitled to like half?" said Trump, who initially moved to ban TikTok and WeChat over worries regarding the Chinese government's acquisition of Americans' personal data near the end of his first term. However, Trump has not been permitted by the law upheld by the Supreme Court to prolong the implementation of the TikTok ban as long as ByteDance does not show binding deals to sell the platform. Such an order is "circumventing national security legislation passed by an overwhelming bipartisan majority in Congress," said Rep. Frank Pollone, D-NJ.