So TikTok is now officially banned in the U.S., but also it’s not, and also, it’s only banned for people who want to download the app, while those who’ve previously downloaded it can still use it. And Trump’s vowed that he’s going to save it, and make a lot of money for the U.S. as he does so.
Yeah, if you weren’t following the back-and-forth over the weekend (which no doubt every social media manager was, given the impact that it could have on their strategy), TikTok is now kind of illegal for U.S. users, but Trump’s looking to make it okay.
Which may or may not work.
Also, there’s been some confusion over Trump’s actual role in the TikTok saga, and whether he was the one who originally sparked the push that led to the weekend’s TikTok ban, which he’s now going to save users from.
That’s only partially correct.
Here’s a full timeline of events in the still-ongoing TikTok ownership chaos in America.
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July 2020 – After various governments moved to ban TikTok on official devices, then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says that the U.S. was considering banning TikTok entirely. President Trump then reinforces this, noting that he’s considering banning TikTok in the U.S. in retaliation for the COVID pandemic.
August 2020 – President Trump issues an executive order to ban TikTok due to data gathering and censorship conducted in the app on behalf of the CCP.
September 2020 – Part of Trump’s executive order (banning downloads of the app) is blocked by the District Court for the District of Columbia, with the judge noting that the President “likely exceeded his authority by trying to ban TikTok” without adequate evidence or due process.
October 2020 – Trump’s executive order is blocked by a federal judge, after a group of TikTok influencers challenge the ban. The federal court judge also notes that Trump has exceeded his authority by invoking emergency economic powers based on hypothetical claims.
November 2020 – On appeal from the White House, a second federal judge blocks Trump’s executive order, again citing lack of evidence of wrongdoing, and lack of due process for TikTok and parent company ByteDance.
July 2021 – President Joe Biden issues an executive order that revokes the Trump Administration’s attempts to ban TikTok. At the same time, the Biden Administration acknowledges concerns about the “foreign adversary” controlled app (so yes, Trump did initiate the push to ban TikTok, but that effort was initially based on retaliation, not security concerns, and it failed and was shut down in 2021).
December 2022 – The Senate Intelligence Committee proposes a new bill to “block and prohibit all transactions” in the United States by social media companies with at least one million monthly users that are based in, or under the “substantial influence” of, countries that are considered foreign adversaries.
March 2024 – After confidential briefings from cybersecurity experts on the risks posed by TikTok, house lawmakers approve legislation that will force ByteDance to sell TikTok into U.S. ownership. The house vote on the legislation is 352 to 65.
March 2024 – Presidential candidate Donald Trump says he wouldn’t ban TikTok if he had a choice, despite security concerns, as banning TikTok would only benefit Meta. Trump says that Meta acted in a biased way when it banned his account in 2021.
April 2024 – Following another confidential briefing from security officials, the U.S. Senate passes legislation that will force TikTok to be sold to a U.S. company, or face a ban in the region. The bill is passed 79-18. Shortly after, President Biden signs the bill into law, giving Bytedance 9 months (or till January 19th 2025) to sell TikTok to a U.S.-based owner.
June 2024 – Presidential candidate Trump joins TikTok.
September 2024 – After gaining millions of followers in the app, Trump vows to save TikTok if elected, noting that he’s now a “big star” on the platform.
December 2024 – A U.S. appeals court rejects TikTok’s bid to disqualify the U.S. government’s enforced sell-off bill.
January 2025 – The Supreme Court upholds the TikTok sell-off bill.
- The Biden Administration says that it will not enforce the TikTok ban on January 19th, leaving it to Trump and his team to enact the bill as they choose. Yet, even so, the approved law goes into effect, leaving app providers with no choice but to remove TikTok in the U.S.
- President-elect Trump says that he will “most likely” sign a 90-day extension for TikTok once he’s inaugurated, though it’s not clear that this is possible in retrospect, as the law will have already been enacted.
- TikTok informs users that it will have to go offline in the U.S.
- After a brief period of unavailability (16 hours), TikTok is restored in the U.S., after Oracle accepts Trump’s assurances that they won’t be fined under the sell-off bill. Apple and Google keep TikTok out of their app stores for fear of prosecution.
- After his inauguration, Trump signs an executive order instructing the Attorney General not to take any action to enforce the TikTok sell-off bill for a period of 75 days, in order to allow Trump and his team “to determine the appropriate course forward in an orderly way that protects national security while avoiding an abrupt shutdown of a communications platform used by millions of Americans.”
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So as you can see, TikTok is technically still banned in the U.S., based on the Senate-approved bill that went into effect on January 19th. It’s not clear that Trump is able to issue an executive order suspending a law that’s already been approved, and that’ll be the next battleground for the TikTok U.S.
But Trump is confident that he can halt the bill, and find a new solution, that eventually sees TikTok become 50% U.S.-owned, and meets the requirements of the original bill.
Again, to be clear, it remains entirely unclear if that’s possible, or if TikTok can be unbanned via executive order from the President.
But for right now at least, TikTok is mostly functional again for Americans.
