TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi thanks Donald Trump for commitment to solution as app faces US ban

TikTok CEO will reportedly attend inauguration of Donald Trump

As TikTok faces the increasing possibility of going dark on Sunday (19 Jan), its Chief Executive Chew Shou Zi has released a statement thanking United States President-elect Donald Trump.

In a TikTok video posted on Friday (17 Jan), the Singaporean expressed his appreciation to Mr Trump for “his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available” in the US.

Source: @tiktok on TikTok

TikTok grateful for support from Trump, says CEO

The effort is a “strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship”, Mr Chew said.

TikTok is “grateful and pleased” to have the support of “a President who truly understands our platform”, he added.

He noted that Mr Trump had used TikTok to express his thoughts and perspectives, generating more than 60 billion views of his content.

Source: Donald J. Trump on Facebook

TikTok has been “fighting to protect the constitutional right to free speech” for the more than 170 million Americans who use it, Mr Chew said, vowing to do “everything in our power” to ensure the app thrives.

TikTok CEO will reportedly attend inauguration

Mr Chew will reportedly attend Mr Trump’s inauguration on Monday (20 Jan), reported The New York Times (NYT).

Unnamed sources told the NYT that the TikTok CEO was invited by the Trump Vance Inaugural Committee.

He will sit on the dais, a prominent position where former presidents and family members are usually seated.

Other tech executives will join him there, including Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Tesla head honcho Elon Musk.

TikTok may go dark in the US on 19 Jan

Mr Chew’s attendance may come as his app goes dark in the US.

A TikTok statement quoted by Reuters on Saturday (18 Jan) said the app would be forced to go dark on Sunday “unless the Biden administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement”.

xiaohongshu apple tiktok ban china

Source: Solen Feyissa on Unsplash

Tech companies like Apple and Google could be fined if they provide services to TikTok after the ban takes effect.

However, the White House said in a statement that due to the timing, “actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next administration”, i.e. Mr Trump’s.

Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban

The final blow to preventing TikTok from going dark in the US might have come on Friday (17 Jan) when the US Supreme Court upheld the ban in a unanimous decision.

The Court ruled that the ban did not violate the US Constitution’s First Amendment protection against government abridgement of free speech, meaning that it would take effect on 19 Jan unless its Chinese parent company ByteDance sold it.

In response to the decision, Mr Trump simply posted on his social media platform Truth Social that it was “expected”.

Source: Donald J. Trump on Truth Social

However, he told followers to “stay tuned” as his decision on TikTok would be made in the “not too distant future”.

Also read: Xiaohongshu tops App Store charts in US amid concerns over TikTok ban

Xiaohongshu tops App Store charts in US amid concerns over TikTok ban

Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.

Featured image adapted from @tiktok on TikTok and Donald J. Trump on Facebook.

  • More From Author