President-elect Donald Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social that he’d like to bring the app back online in the U.S. as soon as possible, even if there’s no deal yet for a U.S.-based company to buy the app.
“I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security. The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order.”
His post came just hours after TikTok went offlinefor U.S.-based users overnight as a bipartisan law that effectively bans the app went into effect. But just hours after Trump’s post, the app started coming back online for U.S. users.
In a statement, the company said, “In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service. We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties for providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive.”
They added, “We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.”
The law, signed last year, gave TikTok’s owner, the Chinese-based company ByteDance, several months to sell to a U.S.-based company or else face a ban. Lawmakers said they were concerned about the threats posed to users’ privacy and national security while TikTok remained under the ownership of a Chinese company.
The law also allows the president to “grant a one-time extension of not more than 90 days” before the law kicks in, something Trump told NBC News on Saturday he would “most likely” seek to do.
