US President-elect Donald Trump asked the US Supreme Court on Friday to stop a potential ban on TikTok from taking effect so that his administration can pursue a “political solution” to the issue.
The request came as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs with the court, with the company arguing that the court should strike down a law that could ban the platform by January 19, while the government reiterated its position that the law is necessary to overturn the law. A threat to national security.
“President Trump takes no position on the merits of this dispute. “Instead, he respectfully requests that the court consider postponing the January 19, 2025 divestment deadline while it considers the merits of this case.” Sawyer, Trump’s pick for attorney general.
The argument presented to the court is the latest example of Trump inserting himself into national issues before taking office. The Republican president-elect has already begun negotiating with other countries over his plans to impose tariffs, and earlier this month intervened in a plan to fund the federal government, calling for the bipartisan plan to be rejected and for Republicans to be brought back to the negotiating table. .
He has been holding meetings with foreign leaders and business officials at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida while meeting his administration, including a meeting last week with TikTok CEO Shou Chew.
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Trump has reversed his position on the popular app, after trying to ban it during his first term due to national security concerns. He joined TikTok during his 2024 presidential campaign and his team used it to connect with young voters, especially male voters, by promoting content that was often masculine and intended to go viral.
He said earlier this year that he still believes there are national security risks with TikTok, but opposes banning it.
Friday’s filings come ahead of oral arguments scheduled for Jan. 10 on whether the law, which requires TikTok to divest from its China-based parent company or face a ban, illegally restricts expression in violation of the First Amendment. President Joe Biden signed the law in April after Congress passed it with broad bipartisan support. TikTok and ByteDance subsequently filed a legal challenge.
Earlier this month, a panel of three federal judges on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously upheld the law, prompting TikTok to appeal the case to the Supreme Court.
Trump’s brief said he opposes a TikTok ban at this juncture and “seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once in office.”
In their brief filed with the Supreme Court on Friday, lawyers for TikTok and its parent company ByteDance argued that the federal appeals court erred in its ruling and based its decision on the alleged “risks” that China might exercise control” over TikTok’s US platform by pressuring its foreign subsidiaries.
The Biden administration has argued in court that TikTok poses a national security risk because of its ties to China. Officials say Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand over information about TikTok sponsors in the United States or use the platform to spread or suppress information.
But the government “admits that it has no evidence that China ever attempted to do so,” TikTok’s legal filing said, adding that U.S. concerns are based on future risks.
Because TikTok is “integrated with ByteDance and relies on its own engine developed and maintained in China,” its corporate structure carries risks, the Biden administration said in its filing on Friday.
& Edition 2024 The Canadian Press
