TikTok announced on Sunday that it is restoring services in the U.S. after President-elect Donald Trump pledged to give the popular video app a reprieve on its impending ban.

Trump, in a Truth Social post, revealed his plan to sign an executive order on Monday, which would allow TikTok additional time to find a buyer before facing a total shutdown. The proposed order suggests that the U.S. or an American firm should take a 50% ownership stake in the Chinese-owned app, currently managed by ByteDance.

“By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands, and allow it to stay up,” Trump wrote. “Without U.S. approval, there is no TikTok. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars—maybe trillions.”

TikTok services were halted late on Saturday, affecting around 170 million users in the U.S. This move followed Congress passing a law in April mandating TikTok to either sell to a non-Chinese owner or face removal from the U.S. App stores were also instructed to ban any updates or distribution if the sale was not secured.

Throughout Saturday night, users saw a message on the app stating: “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.” This shutdown occurred after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the ban on Friday.

Trump’s intervention comes as a shift from his earlier stance, as he had found significant support on the app during his 2024 presidential campaign.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew expressed gratitude to Trump for his effort to keep the app active in the U.S., stating that the company is “in the process of restoring service.” The company further added: “We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive. It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship.”

Shortly after the announcement, users reported that TikTok was functioning again.

National security adviser Mike Waltz noted that Trump is still considering options for continued Chinese ownership, provided that data protection firewalls are implemented on U.S. soil. He also mentioned that Trump needs time to sort out related issues and evaluate potential buyers.

Concerns about TikTok stem from fears of the Chinese government accessing U.S. user data or manipulating the app’s algorithm. Chew has denied any involvement from the Chinese state, asserting in 2023 that ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country.

While Trump’s executive order could extend the deadline for a sale by 90 days, the Republican speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, affirmed that he intends to uphold the ban, emphasizing the need for a true divestiture.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton and Senator Pete Ricketts have stated that only a complete severance of ties between TikTok and Communist China would ensure Americans’ privacy and security.

Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have called for more time to find an American buyer for TikTok, highlighting the app’s role in protecting content creators’ livelihoods and national security.

Meanwhile, investor Kevin O’Leary and the company Perplexity AI have shown interest in acquiring TikTok’s U.S. operations. Reports also surfaced about Chinese officials considering brokering a sale to Elon Musk, although TikTok dismissed these claims as “pure fiction.”

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