The Supreme Court did not give TikTok a last minute stay of execution.
If the popular social media site is going to continue to operate in the US, it will have to be politicians or businessmen, not judges, who save it.
And the politicians – pressed to balance national concerns about China with TikTok’s massive American user base – are taking note. This includes the incoming president, who is both a politician and a businessman.
Shortly after the top court’s ruling, President-elect Donald Trump posted on Truth Social saying he would review the situation, but everyone must respect the Supreme Court 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!,” he said.
Trump’s legal team already had weighed in during the Supreme Court’s consideration of this case, asking the justices to delay a decision to give him time to find a solution.
“President Trump alone possesses the consummate dealmaking expertise, the electoral mandate, and the political will to negotiate a resolution to save the platform,” the brief read.
They didn’t get their wish, but several of Trump’s aides have since floated the possibility of a presidential executive order on Monday afternoon delaying implementation of the ban. Trump also spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping, and the topic of TikTok came up.
Trump is stocking his foreign policy team with China hawks like Marco Rubio and Michael Waltz – who represent a popular view on the right that the Chinese communists are more than an economic rival, they are a geopolitical adversary.
But Trump also spent the past year campaigning for the support of social media influencers – and their youthful followers – many of whom are TikTok devotees.
If the incoming president can ultimately find a way to satisfy national security concerns while keeping TikTok up and running in the US, it would provide him with an opportunity to post an early political win in his second term and be celebrated by TikTok’s loyal users.