Mon Jan 20 05:27:13 UTC 2025: ## TikTok Briefly Banned, Then Reinstated in US Following Trump Intervention
**Washington D.C.** – TikTok, the popular short-video sharing app, experienced a brief ban in the United States over national security concerns before being reinstated on Sunday. The app was removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store on Saturday night following a deadline for its Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell its US operations to a non-Chinese buyer. This deadline passed without a sale.
The ban was quickly reversed, however, following an announcement by former President Donald Trump. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump advocated for a US-led joint venture to acquire TikTok, suggesting American ownership should constitute at least 50%. He highlighted the app’s considerable potential value, estimating it in the hundreds of billions, possibly even trillions, of dollars. Trump stated that this approach would ensure TikTok remained in “the right hands.”
Following Trump’s statement, TikTok confirmed it was working to restore service. The app reappeared on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in the US on Sunday afternoon. However, no official announcements regarding American ownership have been made by TikTok.
At a rally in Washington D.C. on Sunday evening, Trump passionately defended his efforts to save the app, emphasizing the potential job losses and the importance of preventing the transfer of a valuable US business to China. While a 90-day delay in enforcement of the ban is possible if the White House moves towards a deal, ByteDance has so far rejected any sale. The situation remains fluid, and the long-term ownership of TikTok’s US operations remains uncertain.
First Piper 