Trump asks the Supreme Courtroom to pause the TikTok ban till he takes workplace : NPR

The TikTok Company constructing in Culver Metropolis, California, on March 17, 2023.

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President-elect Donald Trump requested the Supreme Courtroom on Friday to cease a possible TikTok ban from going into impact so his administration can pursue a “political resolution” to the difficulty.

The request got here as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs with the court docket, with the corporate arguing that the court docket ought to strike down a regulation that might ban the platform by January 19, whereas the federal government reiterated its place that the regulation is important to overturn the regulation. A risk to nationwide safety.

“President Trump takes no place on the deserves of this dispute. As an alternative, he respectfully requests that the Courtroom think about delaying the January 19, 2025 divestment deadline whereas it considers the deserves of this case,” Trump’s amicus transient mentioned. Which didn’t help both celebration within the case and was written by Dr. John Sawyer, Trump’s decide for legal professional common.

The argument offered to the court docket is the newest instance of Trump inserting himself into nationwide points earlier than taking workplace. The Republican president-elect has already begun negotiating with different nations over his plans to impose tariffs, and earlier this month intervened in a plan to fund the federal authorities, calling for the bipartisan plan to be rejected and for Republicans to be introduced again to the negotiating desk. .

Trump has additionally reversed his stance on the favored app, after attempting to ban it throughout his first time period over nationwide safety issues. He joined the app throughout his 2024 presidential marketing campaign and his crew used it to attach with younger voters, particularly male voters, by selling content material that was usually masculine and supposed to go viral.

He mentioned earlier this yr that he nonetheless believes there are nationwide safety dangers with TikTok, however opposes banning it. This month, Trump additionally met with TikTok CEO Shou Chew at his Mar-a-Lago membership in Florida.

Friday’s filings come forward of oral arguments scheduled for Jan. 10 on whether or not the regulation, which requires TikTok to divest from its China-based mum or dad firm or face a ban, illegally restricts expression in violation of the First Modification. President Joe Biden signed the regulation in April after Congress handed it with broad bipartisan help. TikTok and ByteDance subsequently filed a authorized problem.

Earlier this month, a panel of three federal judges on the US Courtroom of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously upheld the regulation, prompting TikTok to enchantment the case to the Supreme Courtroom.

Trump’s transient mentioned he opposes a TikTok ban at this level and “seeks the flexibility to resolve the problems raised via political means as soon as in workplace.”

Of their transient filed with the Supreme Courtroom on Friday, attorneys for TikTok and its mum or dad firm ByteDance argued that the federal appeals court docket erred in its ruling and based mostly its choice on the alleged “dangers” that China would possibly train management” over TikTok’s US platform by pressuring its overseas subsidiaries.

The Biden administration has argued in court docket that TikTok poses a nationwide safety danger due to its ties to China. Officers say Chinese language authorities may pressure ByteDance at hand over details about TikTok sponsors in the US or use the platform to unfold or suppress data.

However the authorities “admits that it has no proof that China ever tried to take action,” TikTok’s authorized submitting mentioned, including that U.S. issues are based mostly on future dangers.

As a result of TikTok is “built-in with ByteDance and depends by itself engine developed and maintained in China,” its company construction carries dangers, the Biden administration mentioned in its submitting on Friday.