The popular social network TikTok is once again available for download on the App and Google Store platforms in the U.S. after President Donald Trump showed flexibility regarding the threat of a ban that could shut down the platform in the country. The short video app was offline for several hours in the United States as the law took effect the day before the Republican took office.
The legislation approved in April 2024 for national security reasons, with the backing of Democrats and Republicans, gave TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, a nine-month deadline to sell its operations in the U.S. TikTok continues to operate in the U.S. due to imposed limits and the necessity to sell the platform to a buyer that is not considered an adversary of the country.
President Trump had signed an executive order instructing the Treasury and Commerce Departments to create a "sovereign fund" that could acquire the video platform. Additionally, he mentioned that Microsoft would be in talks to acquire TikTok. Thanks to a 75-day extension signed by Trump on January 21, the platform was able to remain operational after his inauguration as president.
Trump opened the possibility of extending the deadline for TikTok to separate from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, if it does not want to face closure in the U.S. "I don't think it's necessary," commented President Trump when questioned about the need to extend the time, pointing out that there is a lot of interest from potential buyers for TikTok.
