President-elect Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Courtroom to let him negotiate a deal to save lots of TikTok from an imminent US ban.
In an amicus transient filed to the court docket, Trump says he “seeks the power to resolve the problems at hand by means of political means as soon as he takes workplace,” and that he “alone possesses the consummate dealmaking experience, the electoral mandate, and the political will to barter a decision to save lots of the platform.”
Final week, the Supreme Courtroom agreed to listen to arguments {that a} invoice handed by Congress banning TikTok on nationwide safety grounds violates the First Modification. The invoice provides huge latitude to the president to delay its enforcement if there’s progress being made in direction of a deal that ensures TikTok isn’t absolutely managed by its Chinese language mum or dad firm, ByteDance.
However the deadline for that dedication is January nineteenth, which is sooner or later earlier than Trump is about to be sworn in.
In his Supreme Courtroom submitting, Trump asks for the invoice’s January nineteenth deadline to be stayed, arguing that the deal he’d negotiate “would obviate the necessity for this Courtroom to resolve the traditionally difficult First Modification query introduced right here on the present, extremely expedited foundation.”
He affords no particulars on what mentioned deal would appear to be, although it could probably must contain ByteDance promoting a signification portion of its possession in TikTok to an American firm.
Trump argues that having over 14 million followers on TikTok, alongside along with his possession of Fact Social, provides him distinctive potential to “consider TikTok’s significance as a novel medium for freedom of expression, together with core political speech.” He additionally cites Brazil’s momentary ban of Elon Musk’s X for example of “the historic risks introduced” by a authorities banning a social media platform.
There’s nonetheless loads of political stress to implement a TikTok ban, nevertheless. A gaggle of senators and congressmen, together with Mitch McConnell and Ro Khanna, filed petitions on Friday, joined by 22 U.S. states and former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, urging the Supreme Courtroom to reject TikTok’s attraction.