Trump Seeks TikTok Reprieve in Pursuit of Political Solution

President-elect Donald Trump is calling for the U.S. Supreme Court to delay a law demanding TikTok's sale or ban. The decision impacts TikTok's continued operation in the U.S., with arguments set for Jan. 10. Trump, shifting from his prior stance, seeks to negotiate a political solution.

President-elect Donald Trump has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court seeking a delay in the enforcement of a law that mandates the sale or banning of TikTok, a highly popular social media app. Trump advocates for a postponement until his administration can explore a political solution.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the case on January 10. The contentious law stipulates that ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese owner, must divest its holdings to a U.S. company or face a ban enacted by Congress should the sale not occur by January 19.

With TikTok amassing over 170 million U.S. users, both it and ByteDance are vehemently opposing the law. Should the court side against them, TikTok could face a U.S. ban right before Trump's inauguration. This marks a notable shift from Trump's previous stance in 2020, where he attempted to thwart TikTok's U.S. presence due to its Chinese ties.

(With inputs from agencies.)