President-elect Donald Trump is assembly with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew on Monday forward of a doable U.S. ban on the video app, a supply acquainted with the plans advised NBC News.
Trump expressed having “a heat spot” for TikTok at a information convention earlier within the day, saying “we’ll have a look” on the app and a doable ban.
A federal legislation President Joe Biden signed this yr would ban TikTok within the U.S. efficient Jan. 19, until its Chinese possession agrees to divest its curiosity. TikTok requested the Supreme Court on Monday to dam the legislation, which a federal appeals courtroom upheld this month. Biden might additionally grant the app a one-time 90-day reprieve.
Trump is scheduled to be sworn in on Jan. 20, the day after the legislation is ready to take impact.
Trump and Chew have been scheduled to satisfy at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, the supply mentioned.
TikTok didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon the deliberate assembly.
At his information convention Monday, Trump didn’t point out the assembly with Chew however mentioned he thought his electoral victory was partly as a consequence of his use of TikTok. “I received youth by 34 factors. And there are those who say that TikTok has one thing to do with that,” he mentioned. Trump misplaced voters ages 18-29, in accordance with a nationwide exit ballot.
Trump tried to ban TikTok in 2020, throughout his first time period within the White House, however he was blocked by the courts. He modified his place this yr, gorgeous a few of his supporters however pleasing others, together with Republican megadonor Jeff Yass, a significant investor in TikTok.
Supporters of the ban embody each Democrats and Republicans in Congress, they usually argue that, due to TikTok’s Chinese possession, it poses a risk to person privateness and to the data atmosphere by way of the doable manipulation of content material.