Donald Trump has sidelined the Supreme Court to take full power of TikTok’s future stateside.
He bragged to CNN—shortly after the nation’s high court ruled in favor of upholding a ban—that TikTok’s future in the U.S. was now solely his to make and take credit for.
“It ultimately goes up to me,” Trump said, “so you’re going to see what I’m going to do.”
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We won’t have to wait long to find out what Trump has up his sleeve. The ban is set to go into effect on Sunday, just a day before his inauguration, which will include TikTok CEO Shou Chew sitting on the dais.
Trump posted to Truth Social on Friday that he would act in the “the not too distant future” on the social media giant. However, he suggested he is yet to land on a decision, writing that he “must have time to review the situation.”
“Stay tuned!” he concluded.
Trump announced earlier on Friday that he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping about TikTok by phone. He has also floated the idea of an early-term executive order that would allow the app to remain online until it can find a new buyer.
“The call was a very good one for both China and the U.S.A.,” Trump said. “It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately. We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects. President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!”
President Joe Biden asserted previously that the app posed a “grave” national security threat because of its ties to China and data sharing with its government. Congress agreed, with a TikTok ban passing with overwhelming bipartisan support.
TikTok is no longer based in China and has moved operations to Singapore. It has been adamant it does not share users’ data with the Chinese Communist Party and its executives claim it collects data at a rate similar to its social media peers.
Trump campaigned on “saving TikTok” last year, but he has not always been so friendly to the company. He signed an executive order in 2020 titled “Addressing the Threat Posed by TikTok.”
Trump wrote back then that TikTok “continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.”
He first suggested his opinion on the app was changing in March 2024, when he was still in campaign mode. He told CNBC that “many people” love the app, suggesting it should remain available in the U.S.
“Frankly, there are a lot of people on TikTok that love it,” he said “There are a lot of young kids on TikTok who will go crazy without it.”
For the ban to be averted under current legislation, ByteDance must divest its U.S. assets through a sale. TikTok would cost billions, but some of the country’s wealthiest people—including Elon Musk, who purchased X in 2022—have shown interest. TikTok, however, has shown no interest in selling.
The banning of a major social media site would be unprecedented at the federal level, and much remains unknown about how it would be implemented and about how those who circumvent it might be punished
The Supreme Court addressed the app’s popularity among the 170 million Americans who use it in a written opinion on Friday. However, it said the threats relayed by lawmakers were too significant for it to usurp Congress’ decision.
“Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary,” the court wrote.
Those in Biden’s camp said Thursday that it would leave the enforcement of a TikTok ban with Trump. Now the ball is fully in the president-elect’s court.
“Congress has given me the decision, so I’ll be making the decision,” Trump told CNN.
