TikTok Resumes Services in the U.S. After Trump Pledges to Revive App Access
TikTok began restoring its services on Sunday after President-elect Donald Trump promised to reinstate the app in the U.S. when he takes office on Monday.
“We have no choice but to save it,” Trump stated at a rally ahead of his inauguration, announcing plans to establish a joint venture to bring back the popular short-video app, used by 170 million Americans.
In a statement to users ahead of the rally, TikTok confirmed, “As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.” Earlier, U.S. users had noticed access to the TikTok website was restored, although the app itself was still limited to a few basic functions. As of Sunday evening, the app was unavailable for download in U.S. app stores.
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TikTok’s statement thanked Trump for “providing clarity and assurance” to its service providers, ensuring they would face no penalties for continuing to offer TikTok to over 170 million Americans, including supporting over 7 million small businesses.
Trump’s public acknowledgment of TikTok’s return comes at a critical time in U.S.-China relations. While Trump has indicated plans to impose tariffs on China, he has also expressed interest in engaging more directly with China’s leadership.
In response, the Chinese Embassy in Washington accused the U.S. of unfairly using state power to suppress TikTok, warning of necessary measures to protect China’s rights and interests.
TikTok had been inaccessible to U.S. users late Saturday as a law aimed at shutting it down on national security grounds took effect Sunday, amid concerns over Americans’ data security. Trump promised to “extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect” to allow a deal to be made to safeguard national security. He also called for a 50% U.S. ownership stake in the proposed joint venture.
Earlier, Trump had suggested he would likely grant TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the ban after assuming office, a promise reflected in a notice posted to users on TikTok before it was removed from U.S. app stores.
This move marks a shift in Trump’s stance on TikTok compared to his first term. In 2020, he sought to ban the app over concerns about its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. However, Trump has since softened his approach, praising the app for helping him engage young voters in the 2024 election.
In August 2020, Trump had signed an executive order giving ByteDance 90 days to sell TikTok but later supported a deal structured as a partnership, which would have included Oracle and Walmart taking stakes in the new company.
Not all Republicans agreed with Trump’s efforts to “Save TikTok.” Senators Tom Cotton and Pete Ricketts issued a joint statement asserting that the law’s implementation leaves no legal grounds for extending its effective date and that TikTok must comply with the law by selling off its ties to China.
The U.S. has never banned a major social media platform, and the law gives the new Trump administration sweeping powers to ban or force the sale of other Chinese-owned apps. Other ByteDance apps like CapCut and Lemon8 were also unavailable in U.S. app stores.
Following the loss of access to TikTok, U.S. web searches for “VPN” spiked, and users on Instagram expressed concerns about their purchases through TikTok Shop, the app’s e-commerce platform. Marketing companies reliant on TikTok scrambled to develop contingency plans amid growing uncertainty.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew was expected to attend Trump’s inauguration and rally on Sunday. Meanwhile, suitors including former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt have expressed interest in acquiring TikTok’s U.S. operations, with some reports suggesting that Beijing has discussed the possibility of selling TikTok’s U.S. assets to Trump ally Elon Musk. However, the company denied such claims.
A U.S. startup, Perplexity AI, also made a bid to merge with TikTok U.S., with plans to create a new entity through the merger.
ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, is privately held, with 60% owned by institutional investors like BlackRock and General Atlantic, and 20% owned by its founders and employees. It employs over 7,000 people in the U.S.
