The president-elect says he seeks to guarantee freedom of expression. The law “may set a dangerous precedent,” says Trump. US President-elect Donald Trump formally asked the Supreme Court to pause the implementation of a law that could ban the Chinese social network TikTok in the country. Trump argues that he should have time after taking office on Jan. 20 to seek a political resolution to the issue. The law, signed into law by President Joe Biden this year, requires ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, sell the platform to an American company or face a ban. This, alleging that the Chinese Government's control over that social network is a threat to the country. This change in Trump's position is notable, since, in 2020, during his presidency, tried to ban the application in the United States and force its sale to American companies due to its Chinese ownership. D. John Sauer, Trump's lawyer and nominee to be the country's attorney general, indicated that Trump does not take a position on the underlying merits of this dispute. Sauer stated that Trump “respectfully requests that the Court consider suspending the Divestment Act's January 19, 2025 deadline while it considers the merits of this case, thereby allowing President Trump's incoming administration the opportunity to seek a solution.” political resolution of the issues at issue in the case,” Reuters reports. In his petition, Trump highlighted that «the First Amendment implications of the federal government's effective shutdown of a social media platform used by 170 million Americans are broad and concerning.» “There are valid concerns that the law may set a dangerous global precedent by exercising the extraordinary power to shut down an entire social media platform based, in large part, on concerns about disfavored speech on that platform,” he added. In his campaign for a second term, Trump spoke of asserting freedom of speech. In his post-election speech, he announced a plan to dismantle “the censorship cartel” that “silences and manipulates” information to favor certain powerful groups, according to him. In addition, he promised to sign an executive order to prevent federal agencies from collaborating with entities that limit the speech of Americans.
The Supreme Court of Justice must decide whether or not to pause the implementation of the law. Source: Wikipedia. TikTok symbolizes freedom of expression in the US, being a social network with more than 170 million users in that country alone. If the court does not rule in its favor and no divestment occurs, the app could be effectively banned in the United States on January 19, a day before Trump takes office. The Supreme Court's decision on this request could influence not only the future of TikTok in the United States, but also in the technology and freedom of expression policy of the new government.
This case marks a turning point in the relationship between the legislative branch, the judiciary, and the incoming administration regarding regulations on foreign technology companies and the protection of the data of American citizens. The pause requested by Trump is presented as an opportunity to reevaluate the legislation and consider solutions that do not necessarily involve prohibition of such a popular platform, especially among youth. This, taking into account that since 2023 there has been an attempt to restrict this social network in the country by legislative means. At that time it was through the Restriction Act law, which reflected growing concerns about national security and the potential influence of the Chinese government through the application, as reported by BitcoinDynamic.