Trump’s first Presidential decree: Bring back the TikTok dances!
TikTok is back online in the US, after 170 million Americans were briefly locked out of the social media platform on Saturday evening, in line with a government-issued shutdown notice.
US Congress passed a law last April that ordered TikTok’s Chinese owners ByteDance to either divest the platform, or get banned in the US.
TikTok went down on Saturday night, to comply with a Sunday deadline for its shutdown, however was back online within 24 hours.
This quick turnaround was due to the incumbent president Donald Trump, who declared he will issue an executive order on Monday to delay any shutdown of the popular app for at least 90 days.
Those US-users attempting to access the app on Saturday evening were hit with a message reading: “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now.
“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now” – a scenario not unlike that of 1984 film Footloose, where dancing is banned in a small town.
TikTok’s message suggested the shutdown may be temporary, adding: “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”
President Trump soon came to the rescue of dance aficionados, writing on Truth Social he will “issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect”, and that he plans to “make a deal to protect our national security”, with his suggestion being that the United States “have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture” of the Chinese-owned platform.
He also offered protections to “any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order”.
Trump told NBC News on Saturday that a “90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it’s appropriate,” saying: “We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation.”
Within hours of Trump’s declaration, TikTok was “in the process of restoring service”, with the app back up and running before the end of the weekend.
“We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive,” TikTok wrote in a statement.
“It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship.
“We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.”
Keep up to date with the latest in media and marketing
Got a tip?
Nathan Jolly is the Features Editor at Mumbrella. He joined the team in July, 2023.
Linkedin
1. Create a problem
2. Been seen to resolve the problem…
User ID not verified.
Biden said he wouldn’t enforce the ban, so the shutdown was unnecessary.
User ID not verified.
Have your say