Can Trump save TikTok? The ‘Art of the Deal’ President wants to try
President-elect Donald Trump has labeled himself as a master negotiator.
As the wildly popular social media platform, TikTok, is set to be banned in the U.S. one day before he is back in the White House, the incoming commander-in-chief says he wants to have a chance to save it.
“President Trump alone possesses the consummate deal-making expertise, the electoral mandate and the political will to negotiate a resolution to save the platform while addressing the national security concerns expressed by the government — concerns which President Trump himself has acknowledged,” according to a brief filed by Trump on Friday evening ahead of an upcoming Supreme Court hearing next month.
Trump, and his allies, have long touted the president as a “deal maker” and said that will continue in his second round in the Oval Office, including negotiating an end to Israel’s war in Gaza and vowing tariffs against allies Mexico and Canada in an effort to curb immigration to the United States – a key campaign goal for the president-elect.
Trump called on the Supreme Court to pause a law that could ban TikTok, arguing the president-elect’s negotiating skills will be able to find a solution that addresses national security concerns of TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, as well as concerns that banning the app would limit free speech in the United States.
'Negotiate a resolution': Trump asks Supreme Court to pause TikTok ban
“President Trump’s first Term was highlighted by a series of policy triumphs achieved through historic deals, and he has a great prospect of success in this latest national security and foreign policy endeavor,” the brief said without expanding on which policies.
Earlier this year, Congress passed bipartisan legislation that was signed by President Joe Biden that requires TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app. The app would be banned from stores and web hosting companies in the U.S. if ByteDance doesn’t sell it.
TikTok previously asked the Supreme Court to pause enforcement of that requirement while the company continues to make their case for why the law is unconstitutional. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court said they won't decide whether to keep the Jan. 19 deadline until after the justices debate the merits of the law during oral arguments scheduled for Jan. 10.
Although Trump attempted to ban the app in his first term as president, the president made it a campaign promise in the 2024 presidential election to “save TikTok,” as his presidential campaign often used the app to appeal to young voters.
Trump’s lawyers in the brief said Trump’s creation of his own social media site, Truth Social, and his use of TikTok, where he has 14.7 million followers, allows “him to evaluate TikTok’s importance as a unique medium for freedom of expression, including core political speech.”
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“President Trump is one of the most powerful, prolific and influential users of social media in history,” the brief said.
Trump’s failed spending bill
Although Trump is touting his negotiating skills, the president-elect is already facing hiccups with parts of his agenda – failing to keep his party united during a government funding debate.
Trump earlier this month blew up an initial short-term spending deal. He failed to get Republican support for legislation he supported that would keep the U.S. government open through March while lifting the cap on the amount of debt the federal government can incur.
The House went on to pass a bipartisan bill that received mostly Democratic support to avoid a government shutdown.
Contributing: Maureen Groppe, Karissa Waddick, and Zac Anderson, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The ‘Art of the Deal’ President wants to try and save TikTok
