The U.S. witnessed an unprecedented policy shift as President-elect Donald Trump announced plans to reverse a federal ban on TikTok, restoring the app’s services on January 19, 2025, just before his inauguration. The decision follows years of legal and political battles surrounding the app’s Chinese ownership, citing national security concerns.

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• Trump plans to issue an executive order allowing TikTok’s parent, ByteDance, more time to find an approved U.S. buyer.
• TikTok restored access in the U.S. on Sunday after being removed from Google and Apple stores earlier in the day.
• The federal ban, triggered by a 2020 Trump executive order, required ByteDance to sell its U.S. operations by January 18, 2025.
• The law passed in April 2024 with bipartisan support; President Biden signed it citing security risks.
• ByteDance sued, citing First Amendment rights; the Supreme Court upheld the ban two days before its enforcement.
• Trump described TikTok’s return as a necessity, promising to save the platform for 160 million U.S. users.
• The Chinese government criticized the U.S. for suppressing TikTok, threatening countermeasures.
• Beijing’s Vice-President, Han Zheng, will attend Trump’s inauguration, signaling potential diplomatic softening.
• Media reports suggest Beijing discussed selling TikTok’s U.S. operations to Elon Musk, though ByteDance denies this.
• Perplexity AI reportedly submitted a merger proposal for TikTok’s U.S. operations on Saturday.