Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump, (C) greets attendees throughout a marketing campaign cease to handle Pennsylvanians involved about the specter of communist China to U.S. agriculture on the Smith Household Farm on September 23, 2024 in Smithton , Pennsylvania.
Win Mcnamee | Getty Photos
After Donald Trump gained the US presidency final week, tech CEOs included Applefrom Tim Kok, Meta‘s Mark Zuckerberg and AmazonJeff Bezos publicly praised the president-elect.
One title was conspicuously lacking: TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew.
His absence was notable contemplating that of all the highest tech corporations, TikTok faces probably the most fast and existential menace from the U.S. authorities. In April, President Joe Biden signed a regulation requiring China’s ByteDance to promote TikTok by January 19. If ByteDance would not comply, web internet hosting corporations and app retailer house owners like Apple and Google might be banned from supporting TikTok, successfully banning it. the USA
Nevertheless, Trump’s return to the White Home might present a lifeline for Chew and TikTok.
Though each Republicans and Democrats supported the Biden TikTok ban in April, Trump voiced his opposition to the ban throughout his candidacy. Trump acknowledged nationwide safety and information privateness issues with TikTok in a March interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Field,” however he additionally stated “there’s numerous good and there is numerous unhealthy” with the app.
Trump additionally used TikTok’s shaky future within the US as a motive for individuals to vote towards Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris.
“We’re not doing something with TikTok, however the different facet goes to place an finish to it, so in the event you like TikTok, get out and vote for Trump,” the president-elect stated in a put up on his Reality Social service in September .
Since his election, Trump has not publicly mentioned his plans for TikTok, however Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt informed CNBC that the newly elected president will “ship the consequence.”
“The American individuals re-elected President Trump by a large margin, giving him a mandate to satisfy the guarantees he made throughout the marketing campaign,” Leavitt stated in an announcement.
Trump’s rhetoric on TikTok started to alter after the president-elect met billionaire Jeff Yass, a Republican megadonor and main investor in China’s social media app, in February.
Yass’ buying and selling agency Susquehanna Worldwide Group owns a 15% stake in ByteDance, whereas Yass has a 7% stake within the firm, value about $21 billion, NBC and CNBC reported in March. That month, it was additionally reported that Yass was co-owner of the corporate that merged with Trump’s guardian firm Reality Social.
TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies throughout the Senate Judiciary Committee listening to on on-line baby sexual exploitation on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 31, 2024.
Nathan Howard | Reuters
If ByteDance would not promote TikTok earlier than the January deadline, Trump might probably enchantment to Congress to repeal the regulation, or he might implement extra “selective enforcement” of the regulation, primarily leaving TikTok within the U.S. can proceed to function with out sanctions being imposed. stated Sarah Kreps, professor of presidency at Cornell College. “Selective enforcement” could be akin to cops not all the time implementing each case of jaywalking, she stated.
On TikTok, in the meantime, Chew has remained quiet since Trump’s victory, simply as he had been within the run-up to Election Day.
The Chinese language-owned firm could undertake a impartial strategy and a wait-and-see technique for now, stated Lengthy Le, a Chinese language enterprise professional and affiliate professor at Santa Clara College.
Le stated it’s tough to foretell what Trump will do.
“He is additionally contrarian; that makes him unpredictable,” Le stated. “He can say one factor, and the following 12 months he’ll change his thoughts.”
TikTok didn’t reply to requests for remark.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies earlier than the Senate Judiciary Committee on the Dirksen Senate Constructing on January 31, 2024 in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong | Getty Photos
‘Fb has been very unhealthy for our nation’
In the case of social media apps, Trump’s marketing campaign feedback recommend he is extra involved about TikTok rival Meta.
In his March interview with “Squawk Field,” Trump stated Meta, which owns Fb and Instagram, is a a lot larger drawback than TikTok. He additionally stated a TikTok ban would solely profit Meta, who he known as “an enemy of the individuals.”
“Fb has been very unhealthy for our nation, particularly in terms of elections,” Trump stated.
However Trump’s adverse views of Meta could have modified following feedback from CEO Mark Zuckerberg in current months, Cornell’s Kreps stated.
Zuckerberg described the picture of Trump elevating his fist after a failed assassination try in July as “one of many coolest issues I’ve ever seen in my life.” And after Trump’s victory, Zuckerberg congratulated him, saying he seemed ahead to working with the newly elected president and his administration.
“My feeling as Trump’s armchair psychologist is that he actually likes individuals who sing his praises, and so his view of Zuckerberg and Meta, I believe, has modified,” Kreps stated. “He would possibly then return to his American financial nationalism and say, ‘Let’s defend American business and proceed with the China ban.’”
Meta didn’t reply to a request for remark.
Sustaining assist for the TikTok ban might additionally win Trump’s political favor with lawmakers involved about China’s world political and enterprise affect, stated Milton Mueller, a professor at Georgia Tech’s Faculty of Public Coverage.
“I do not see him scoring any main political factors by standing up for TikTok,” Mueller stated, noting that few lawmakers, equivalent to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., have opposed the ban.
Even when Trump provides TikTok a lifeline, it’s unclear how a lot harm that may do to his administration as many politicians are reluctant to publicly criticize him, Le stated.
“They are not going to problem him as a result of he has a lot energy,” Le stated.
Since launching his TikTok account in June, Trump has amassed greater than 14 million followers. Given his data of social media, Trump could not need to decide that leads to him shedding the general public consideration and affect he gained on TikTok, Le stated.
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