U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has filed a brief seeking the Supreme Court to halt a legislation that would ban TikTok the day before his January 20 inauguration if it is not sold by its Chinese owner, Byte Dance.
During his first term from 2017 to 2021, Trump was vehemently opposed to TikTok and attempted unsuccessfully to ban the video app on national security grounds.
The Republican expressed concerns, which were shared by political opponents, that the Chinese government could access US TikTok users’ data or alter what they view on the platform.
U.S officials had also expressed concern about the video-sharing app’s appeal among young people, suggesting that its parent business is subservient to Beijing and that the program is used to propagate propaganda, charges disputed by both the company and the Chinese government.
Trump asked for a U.S business to buy TikTok, with the government sharing the proceeds, and his successor Joe Biden went a step further, signing legislation to ban the app for the same reasons.
At a press conference last week, Trump said he has “a warm spot” for TikTok and that his administration would take a look at the app and the potential ban.
Earlier this month, the president-elect met with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
In the brief filed on Friday, Trump’s lawyer made it clear the president-elect did not take a position on the legal merits of the current case.
The U.S Supreme Court agreed last week to hear TikTok’s case against Biden’s decision to force its owner to divest or face a ban.
With oral arguments slated for January 10, the case would have to proceed at dizzying pace.
TikTok claims that the law, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, violates its First Amendment free expression rights.
