President Donald Trump said he might not save Tiktok after all, after calling the social media site “worthless” his first day in the White House.
Trump had previously pledged to rescue TikTok from the nationwide ban enforced by the Supreme Court, which was launched over fears the site’s Chinese owner ByteDance would be able to use American data to compromise national security.
Newsweek contacted the White House for more information on Trump’s approach to TikTok via email.
At the Trump Oval Office source, he said in several events that “saves” Tiktok of the ban, which was originally designed originally designed. The replacement of Monday’s tone represents a more serious technique for the social media site, which in the past praised Trump for starting the “service recovery process. “
Tiktok’s prohibition entered into force on January 19, after the corporate convinced the Supreme Court that the restrictions would constitute a violation of the Constitution.
The next day, Trump was sworn in as the next president, Joe Biden, dropping the resolution to enforce Trump’s ban.
Previously, Trump had shown off his campaign’s functionality on Tiktok, sharing a graph of his engagement on the election site that revealed he gained 36 billion insights on the site in 2024. Trump added the caption: “Why would I need to get rid of Tiktok?”
In January, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, told Newsweek, “President Trump expressed his preference for saving Tiktok, and there is no greater task than Donald Trump. “
Trump on Tiktok: I can’t where I can do the trick. Tiktok has no value. Worthless, if I don’t approve of it. I think the United States gets part of Tiktok. . . I think we would have a joint venture pic. twitter. com/1g7mitdr2d
But Trump’s newer comments seem less enthusiastic about preventing the ban, with the new decision in the president describing it as “useless. “
When asked by reporters about the ban, Trump said: “I may not or may do the deal. TikTok is worthless, worthless, if I don’t approve it. I learned that from the people that own it. If I don’t do the deal it’s worth nothing, If I do the deal it’s worth a trillion dollars.
“I think the United States gets part of Tiktokarray . . . I think we would have a joint business. The United States has the right to obtain part of Tiktok. But if the president does not sign, that does not value anything.
Republican president of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, told NBC on Sunday: “When President Trump published the [social] fact and said:” except Tiktok “, the way we read is that he will verify to force a Genuine divestment, converting hands, property . . . It is not the platform that considers the members of Congress.
“This is the Chinese Communist Party and its manipulation of algorithms: they flooded the minds of young Americans with horrific messages glorifying violence and anti-Semitism and even suicide and eating disorders. “
Trump will make a resolution on the ban on Tiktok in the coming days, however, the ban so far. However, Tiktok is still available in various parts of the United States
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Theo Burman is a Newsweek Live News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is on U.S. politics and international news, as well as the impact of digital culture on elections. He has covered electoral and cultural issues extensively in the U.S. and the U.K., along with high-profile legal cases such as the trials of Andrew Tate and Donald Trump. Theo joined Newsweek in 2024 and has previously written for Dexerto, PinkNews, and News UK. He is a graduate of Durham University and News Associates.You can get in touch with Theo by emailing [email protected]. Languages: English.