Washington – TikTok began restoring its services on Sunday, after President-elect Donald Trump stated that he would reinstate the app’s access in the United States when he takes power on Monday.
“Frankly, we don’t have a choice. “We have to save it,” Trump said at a rally on Sunday ahead of his inauguration, adding that the United States will seek a joint venture to restore the short-video sharing app used by 170 million Americans.
TikTok said in a message to users hours before the rally, “As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.”
TikTok also issued an earlier statement after users in the United States reported being able to access the Chinese-owned service’s website, while the far more popular TikTok app itself began to relaunch for some users with only a few basic services. As of Sunday evening, the app was still unavailable for download in US app stores.
“In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service,” said TikTok in its previous statement.
It also thanked Mr. Trump for “providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties (for) providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive.”
TikTok’s public thank you to Trump, one day before he takes office, comes at a tense time in US-China relations. Trump has stated that he intends to impose tariffs on China, but he has also expressed a desire to have more direct contact with China’s leader.
On Friday, the Chinese Embassy in Washington accused the United States of using unfair state power to suppress TikTok. “China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,” according to a representative.
TikTok stopped working for US users late Saturday before a law shutting it down for national security reasons went into effect on Sunday. US officials had warned that Americans’ data could be misused by ByteDance, its Chinese parent company.
According to Trump, he would “extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.”
“I would like the United States to have a 50% stake in a joint venture,” he stated on Truth Social.
Trump stated that the executive order would exempt any company from liability for assisting in keeping TikTok operational prior to his order.
Trump had previously stated that he would most likely grant TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the ban after taking office, which TikTok cited in a notice posted to app users.
“A law banning TikTok has been passed in the United States. Unfortunately, this means you won’t be able to use TikTok right now.
We are fortunate that President Trump has stated that he will collaborate with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned,” said a message to TikTok users after the app disappeared from Apple and Google app stores late Saturday.
Trump’s decision to save TikTok marks a shift from his position during his first term in office. In 2020, he planned to ban the app over concerns that the company was sharing Americans’ personal information with the Chinese government.
More recently, Trump stated that he has “a warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” crediting the app with helping him win over young voters in the 2024 election.
In August 2020, Trump issued an executive order giving ByteDance 90 days to sell TikTok, but then approved a deal structured as a partnership rather than a divestment, with both Oracle and Walmart taking stakes in the new company.
Not everyone in Trump’s Republican Party supported efforts to circumvent the law and “save TikTok”.
Republican senators Tom Cotton and Pete Ricketts said in a joint statement: “Now that the law has gone into effect, there is no legal basis for any kind of ‘extension’ of its effective date.
To bring TikTok back online in the future, ByteDance must agree to a sale that meets the law’s qualified-divestiture requirements by severing all ties between TikTok and Communist China.”
The United States has never banned any major social media platform. The law, passed overwhelmingly by Congress, gives the incoming Trump administration broad authority to ban or seek the sale of other Chinese-owned apps.
Other ByteDance-owned apps, such as video editing app CapCut and lifestyle social app Lemon8, were also offline and unavailable in US app stores as of late Saturday.
Apple and Google did not immediately respond to inquiries for comment.
‘HAIR ON FIRE’ MOMENT
According to Google Trends, web searches for “VPN” increased in the minutes following TikTok’s suspension in the United States.
Users on Instagram were concerned about whether they would still receive merchandise purchased through TikTok Shop, the video platform’s e-commerce arm.
Marketing firms that rely on TikTok have rushed to prepare contingency plans in what one executive described as a “hair on fire” moment, following months of conventional wisdom predicting that a solution would emerge to keep the app operational.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew intends to attend the US presidential inauguration and a rally with Trump on Sunday, according to Reuters.
Suitors, including former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, have expressed interest in the rapidly expanding business, which analysts estimate could be worth up to $50 billion.
According to media reports, Beijing has also discussed selling TikTok’s U.S. operations to billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk, which the company has denied.
Perplexity AI, a search engine startup in the United States, submitted a bid to ByteDance on Saturday for a merger with TikTok U.S., according to a source familiar with the company’s plans.
Perplexity plans to merge with TikTok U.S. and form a new entity by combining the two companies with other partners, according to the source.
Privately held. Institutional investors such as BlackRock and General Atlantic own approximately 60% of ByteDance, with the founders and employees owning 20% each. It has over 7,000 employees in the United States.