TikTok users in the United States lost access to the app late Saturday, hours before a national ban on the platform was set to take effect. President-elect Donald Trump, set to take office on Monday, is yet to intervene in the matter.
Users attempting to access the app were greeted with a message stating, “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”
The ban follows a Friday ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, which upheld a law prohibiting TikTok’s operation in the country unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells the platform to non-Chinese buyers. The decision was reportedly taken on national security grounds.
TikTok has grown popular across all age groups in the U.S., transforming users into global sensations through viral videos. President-elect Trump himself has praised the platform for helping him connect with younger voters, which he believes contributed to his election victory in November 2024.
Speaking to NBC News on Saturday, Trump hinted at granting a 90-day reprieve for TikTok once he assumes office. “The 90-day extension is something that will most likely be done because it’s appropriate,” he said. He added that a decision on the reprieve could be announced as early as Monday.
The current law permits a 90-day delay if progress toward a sale or resolution is evident, but ByteDance has resisted selling the app. Outgoing President Joe Biden’s administration has deferred the matter to Trump, with White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre dismissing TikTok’s recent statements as a “stunt.”
TikTok CEO Shou Chew, in an appeal to Trump, expressed gratitude for the president-elect’s willingness to find a solution. “Trump truly understands our platform,” Chew remarked. He is also expected to attend Trump’s inauguration.
Under the law, Apple and Google are mandated to remove TikTok from their app stores, preventing new downloads. The companies could face fines of up to $5,000 per user who accesses the app. Oracle, TikTok’s server host, is also required to enforce the ban. None of these companies commented on the situation as of Saturday.
Proposals for TikTok
Efforts to resolve the crisis continue, with Perplexity AI—a start-up backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos—proposing a merger with TikTok’s U.S. subsidiary. According to reports, the proposed joint venture could be valued at $50 billion, offering ByteDance an alternative to a full sale.
Frank McCourt, a former Los Angeles Dodgers owner, has also expressed interest in acquiring TikTok’s U.S. operations. Canadian investor Kevin O’Leary, involved in McCourt’s offer, revealed a $20 billion bid but noted uncertainty over whether Trump could override the ban with an executive order.
“Congress wrote this law to be virtually president-proof,” said Adam Kovacevich, CEO of the industry group Chamber of Progress. Cornell University professor Sarah Kreps added that existing laws would take precedence over any executive order.
Meanwhile, TikTok’s shutdown could boost competitors like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Concerned users in the U.S. are reportedly migrating to Xiaohongshu (“Little Red Book”), a Chinese social media app, which became the most downloaded app on the U.S. Apple Store last week.
