(NewsNation) — President-elect Donald Trump could issue an executive order to save TikTok once he’s in office, according to reports.
In doing so, it would suspend the enforcement of the ban or sale for 60 to 90 days, buying the new administration time to find a solution.
The Supreme Court ruled the social media app would be banned in the U.S. on Jan. 19, a day before Trump’s inauguration, unless the Chinese-owned company was sold.
Trump tried to ban it during his first term as president but could be changing his tune on the popular video platform.
Trump’s goal is “perhaps to buy himself more time,” political contributor Dr. Lauren Wright, said on “NewsNation Live Weekend.” “That’s what I would expect the executive order to do.”
Lawmakers first proposed a ban in 2023, claiming it poses a national security threat, alleging the Chinese government could be spying on American users.
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Wright, who teaches courses on the presidency and executive power at Princeton University, said she concurs the app threatens national security.
“Most Republicans agree on that, but young people are not persuaded by that argument. A lot of them found President Trump on the app, and a ton of small businesses use this, in addition to young people who just really like the app and their favorite social media platform,” Wright said.
“Trump sees the benefits of it, and I’m sure he’s getting a lot of pressure from Republicans in Congress … about the very real security concerns.”
She said it’s a “no-brainer” that Trump would move to prevent the ban. In recent weeks, a new Chinese-owned app called RedNote has emerged in popularity.
“There are certainly other potential replacements that China is already flooding the marketplace with that would do the same thing,” Wright said. “But for a lot of Americans who use (TikTok) every day, it’s an economic question and a very real annoyance for them.”
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Trump issued an executive order in 2020, claiming the app was capturing mass amounts of information about Americans. A judge blocked this under the Biden administration.
So can Trump successfully lift the ban this time?
“He certainly has leverage based on how many Americans voted for him last time around, (and) he has the understanding of the app because it helped his campaign a lot,” Wright said. “He’s reportedly said he has a soft spot for it for that reason,” Wright added.
“He has a direct line to the American people. But I really think if he wants TikTok to go away, all Republicans in government, and there are definitely some Democrats on this side of the argument too, need to articulate more clearly to the American people, what are the risks? What is this doing?”
