Politics | January 27th, 2025
Trump Delays Ban, Allowing TikTok to Temporarily Restore in the U.S.
By: Leah Dudley

TikTok was restored for American users on Sunday following President Donald Trump’s promise to save the app after 12 hours of suspended service.
The Supreme Court upheld the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, signed into law on April 24, 2024. The law requires ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to either sell the company by Jan. 19, 2025, or face a nationwide ban.
Screenshot of message that was sent to users on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. Photo Credits: Leah Dudley
During his inauguration events, President Trump vowed to save the app at a “victory rally.” He told the crowd in D.C., “We have no choice; we have to save it,” and suggested the U.S. would own 50% of the company.
This came as a surprise to users who recall President Trump initiating the “war on TikTok.” In an executive order issued in August 2020, he stated the app was capturing Americans’ information, leaving it vulnerable to the Chinese government.
“It is a little confusing because I thought Trump was sort of the impetus to them banning TikTok to begin with, so to come back now and try to save it, I just don’t know why there was a change of heart,” said attorney Tamara Felton-Howard of St. Petersburg, Fla.
President Trump’s stance on TikTok shifted significantly during his 2024 election campaign. Initially, he declared the app a threat to national security, but said Monday, “I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” claiming he “won youth by 34 points, and there are those that say TikTok had something to do with it.”
He signed an executive order on Monday to delay enforcing a federal ban on TikTok for at least 75 days. The order instructs the attorney general not to take action on the law banning TikTok, giving his administration “an opportunity to determine the appropriate course forward.”
The debate over whether the ban was a form of censorship imposed on Americans’ First Amendment rights or a serious matter of national security increased in the days leading up to the ban.
“The same things that they are accusing TikTok of doing, they do on Instagram, Facebook, and X,” said Dr. Leah Hunter, a media law and ethics professor at Florida A&M University. “The only difference is that TikTok is owned by a foreign nation, but I think they are all problematic.”
Some users believed The Supreme Court was imposing on their rights and others viewed the ban as a priority of putting national security over entertainment.
“I don’t believe the U.S. is violating Americans’ First Amendment rights. I believe it is a matter of national security. The ban is justified as a breach of national security; they can use the information from the app to help sway political elections. It’s just a security breach,” said Richardson Genn, a first-year pre-mechanical engineering student and U.S. Navy serviceman.
The fate of TikTok is still being decided, but as for now, the Ban is halted, and users and businesses can enjoy the app without penalty under federal law.