On the 20th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump granted a 75-day reprieve on the enforcement of the ban against the Chinese video-sharing platform TikTok, allowing time to seek a solution.
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on that day, President Trump directed the Department of Justice to suspend actions related to TikTok for 75 days. This delays the existing policy that would ban TikTok unless its U.S. business rights are sold to local corporations. After signing the order, Trump noted, "I have the right to sell or close TikTok."
The U.S. Congress enacted a ban last April, citing concerns that TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, was collecting personal data from Americans in bulk, posing a national security threat. The legislation stipulated that if ByteDance did not sell its U.S. business rights by the 19th, new downloads of TikTok would be prohibited. As a result, TikTok's services in the U.S. were suspended on the night of the 18th, but some were restored after Trump announced on the 19th that he would seek a solution.
President Trump again proposed establishing a U.S.-China joint venture where American corporations would secure more than 50% equity. He also mentioned the possibility of imposing tariffs if China does not approve this.
Meanwhile, President Trump previously pushed for a TikTok ban during his first term, but changed his position during last year's election campaign by utilizing TikTok for his campaign. Analysts suggest this was due to concerns that "a TikTok ban would provoke outrage among young people."