On Friday, TikTok’s CEO Shou Chew gave a shoutout to President-elect Donald Trump for backing the company’s hustle to keep the app accessible to folks in the U.S.
In a video he dropped on TikTok—his first public word since the Supreme Court upheld that law banning the app just hours before—Chew showed some appreciation for Trump’s recent support. “I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States,” he said. “This is a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship.”
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Chew continued: “We are grateful and pleased to have the support of a president who truly understands our platform — one who has used TikTok to express his own thoughts and perspectives, connecting with the world and generating more than 60 billion views of his content in the process.”
The statement dropped right after the Biden administration announced on Friday that they’d be kicking the enforcement of the TikTok ban back to the Trump administration.
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The White House’s move to hold off on any enforcement actions this Sunday—the day the law kicks in—could keep TikTok in the game for now, leaving the door open until we get more clarity on how Trump plans to handle the ban.
During his first run as president, Trump tried and failed to ban TikTok, but in his 2024 campaign, he switched things up, joining TikTok and claiming he’d “save TikTok” in a video back in June.
However, on Friday, Trump dropped a vague statement on Truth Social, saying, “The Supreme Court decision was expected, and everyone must respect it. My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!”
Trump linked up with Chew back in December and mentioned he has “a warm spot” for the app. Chew is set to be at Trump’s inauguration on Monday, hanging out with other tech execs who’ll be in the mix.
As for TikTok, they haven’t revealed what their game plan is for Sunday yet, but NBC News is saying the app might be ready to “go dark” if it comes down to that.
