US President Donald Trump Halts TikTok Ban with Executive Order

Upon taking office, US President Donald Trump quickly made headlines by temporarily halting the TikTok ban. Trump sent an executive order to the Department of Justice (DOJ), instructing that the ban, which required ByteDance to sell TikTok, not be enforced for at least 75 days.

How Did Trump Halt the TikTok Ban?

Under US law, ByteDance was required to sell its shares of TikTok, or the app would be banned in the US. However, Trump directed the Attorney General to not enforce this law. The order also instructed the DOJ to notify companies like Apple, Google, and others that they would not face legal consequences for continuing to work with TikTok.

According to the executive order, the process will go as follows:

• The DOJ will not take action regarding the TikTok ban for 75 days.
• No legal sanctions will be applied to companies like Apple and Google.
• Requests have been made to halt any criminal penalties for past violations related to the ban.

This move by Trump is seen as a direct challenge to a law that was approved by a bipartisan Congress, signed by Joe Biden, and confirmed by the Supreme Court. Legal experts believe that while the executive order does not entirely nullify the law, it may provide temporary legal protection to ByteDance and companies that work with TikTok.

TikTok was removed from Apple and Google’s app stores on January 19, when the ban was set to take effect. While there were brief access issues, the platform remains active. Trump’s executive order leaves uncertainty about whether Apple and Google will re-add TikTok to their stores. Companies will have to evaluate whether Trump’s decision is legally valid in the long run.

How the US’s biggest tech companies will respond to Trump’s decision and what will become of TikTok’s future in the US will become clearer in the coming weeks. Do you think Trump can fully lift the TikTok ban? Share your thoughts!