TikTok CEO thanks Trump, says '7 million American businesses' rely on the app as ban decision looms

TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi has responded to the decision made on Friday (Jan 17) by the United States' Supreme Court to ban the social media app.

The court voted 9-0 to uphold the law that was passed in Congress last year and signed by President Joe Biden. The ban will begin on Sunday unless its Chinese owner ByteDance divests from TikTok.

This means that companies like Google and Apple will no longer be permitted to offer TikTok on their app stores.

"Unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19," TikTok said.

Chew, 42, took to the app to state that his company has "been fighting to protect the constitutional right to free speech for the more than 170 million Americans" who use TikTok.

"On behalf of everyone at TikTok and all our users across the country, I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States," he said.

"This is a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship."

The Singaporean businessman added: "We are grateful and pleased to have the support of a President who truly understands our platform," noting that Trump had garnered over 60 billion views on his own content on TikTok.

Chew also reminded viewers that "over seven million American businesses" earn a living and gain new customers through TikTok.

He vowed that his company would be doing all it could to ensure that the platform "thrives".

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The long-term future of the social media platform relies on Trump, who returns to office next Monday. He previously urged the Supreme Court to pause the ban until he comes to power, but was denied.

According to Forbes, Trump could sign an executive order to pause the ban for up to 90 days, should ByteDance show signs of wanting to sell TikTok. He could also declare TikTok in compliance with the law and reverse the ban, but lawyers are not certain it will work. 

"The Supreme Court decision was expected, and everyone must respect it," Trump said on the platform Truth Social following the decision.

"My decision on TikTok will be made in the not-too-distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!"

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drimac@asiaone.com

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