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By Gabe Whisnant
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President-elect Donald Trump reacted Friday morning after the Supreme Court ruled unanimously to uphold a federal law banning TikTok unless its China-based parent company, ByteDance, sells the app by Sunday.
The justices determined that the app's ties to China pose significant national security risks, outweighing concerns about free speech for TikTok and its 170 million U.S. users.
"It ultimately goes up to me, so you're going to see what I'm going to do," Trump reportedly told CNN's Pamela Brown in a phone call. He went on, according to Brown in a post on X, formerly Twitter: "Congress has given me the decision, so I'll be making the decision."
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He did not provide further details on what that decision would be, Brown reported.
When reached for comment via email Friday morning, the Trump presidential transition team directed Newsweek to a Truth Social post by the president-elect on Friday, which states, "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!"
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Why it Matters
The federal law will render TikTok effectively unusable over time, according to court filings by the Justice Department.
However, outgoing President Joe Biden's administration signaled it won't enforce the ban starting Sunday. Trump, who has 14.7 million followers on TikTok, has expressed interest in finding a solution.
However, his stance is at odds with prominent Senate Republicans, who have criticized TikTok's Chinese ownership for not securing a sale sooner.
What to Know
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Trump held their first phone talks in four years Friday.
According to Trump, he spoke with Xi about TikTok, just hours before the Supreme upheld a law set to ban the social media platform in the United States.
During his first term as president, Trump tried to ban to the app and issued an executive order in August 2020. He warned that the app was leaving information about Americans vulnerable to the Chinese government.
The order was later blocked by a judge and dropped by Biden when he came to power in 2021.
However, Trump's position appears to have changed drastically since then, coming out against the ban and saying that he has a "warm spot" for the platform.
Additionally, Trump posted a graphic of his engagement on TikTok earlier this year, revealing that he received 36 billion views on the site in 2024. He added the caption: "Why would I want to get rid of TikTok?"
What People Are Saying
Trump at a press conference in Mar-a-Lago after his election victory in November: "I won youth by 34 points. And there are those who say TikTok has something to do with it."
Trump also told CNBC last year: "Frankly, there are a lot of people on TikTok that love it... There are a lot of young kids on TikTok who will go crazy without it. There are a lot of users, a lot of good, and there's a lot of bad with TikTok."
Chris Wade, producer of the progressive podcast Chap Trap House, posted on X: "It's amazing the TikTok ban was 100% a Trump/GOP thing originally that the Dems found some way to completely politically own and then set Trump up to be the heroic savior of a popular platform. Absolute masterclass"
What Happens Next
Trump will return to office on Monday, January 20. The TikTok ban, which is scheduled to go into effect the day before, could be one of the first things he makes a decision on in his second term.
The chief executive of TikTok plans to attend Trump's inauguration on Monday, the New York Times first reported on Wednesday. Shou Zi Chew has been invited to sit in a position of honor on the dais, which is typically reserved for former presidents, family members and other important guests, the report said.
Update: 1/17/25, 11:53 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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