Trump asks the Supreme Court to pause the TikTok ban until he takes office : NPR

President-elect Donald Trump requested the Supreme Courtroom on Friday to pause the potential TikTok ban from going into impact till his administration can pursue a “political decision” to the problem.

The request got here as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs to the courtroom, wherein the corporate argued the courtroom ought to strike down a regulation that would ban the platform by Jan. 19 whereas the federal government emphasised its place that the statute is required to get rid of a nationwide safety threat.

“President Trump takes no place on the underlying deserves of this dispute. As an alternative, he respectfully requests that the Courtroom contemplate staying the Act’s deadline for divestment of January 19, 2025, whereas it considers the deserves of this case,” mentioned Trump’s amicus temporary, which supported neither social gathering within the case and was written by D. John Sauer, Trump’s alternative for solicitor basic.

The argument submitted to the courtroom is the most recent instance of Trump inserting himself in nationwide points earlier than he takes workplace. The Republican president-elect has already begun negotiating with different international locations over his plans to impose tariffs, and he intervened earlier this month in a plan to fund the federal authorities, calling for a bipartisan plan to be rejected and sending Republicans again to the negotiating desk.

Trump has additionally reversed his place on the favored app, having tried to ban it throughout his first time period in workplace over nationwide safety issues. He joined the app throughout his 2024 presidential marketing campaign and his crew used it to attach with youthful voters, particularly male voters, by pushing content material that was usually macho and geared toward going viral.

He mentioned earlier this 12 months that he nonetheless believed there have been nationwide safety dangers with TikTok, however that he opposed banning it. This month, Trump additionally met with TikTok CEO Shou Chew at his Mar-a-Lago membership in Florida.

The filings Friday 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, unlawfully restricts speech in violation of the First Modification. The regulation was was signed by President Joe Biden in April after it handed Congress with broad bipartisan assist. TikTok and ByteDance filed a authorized problem afterwards.

Earlier this month, a panel of three federal judges on the U.S. Courtroom of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously upheld the statute, main TikTok to attraction the case to the Supreme Courtroom.

The temporary from Trump mentioned he opposes banning TikTok at this junction and “seeks the flexibility to resolve the problems at hand by means of political means as soon as he takes workplace.”

Of their temporary to the Supreme Courtroom on Friday, attorneys for TikTok and its mum or dad firm ByteDance argued the federal appeals courtroom erred in its ruling and based mostly its choice on “alleged ‘dangers’ that China might train management” over TikTok’s U.S. platform by pressuring its international associates.

The Biden administration has argued in courtroom that TikTok poses a nationwide safety threat as a result of its connections to China. Officers say Chinese language authorities can compel ByteDance at hand over info on TikTok’s U.S. patrons or use the platform to unfold or suppress info.

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

In its submitting Friday, the Biden administration mentioned as a result of TikTok “is built-in with ByteDance and depends on its propriety engine developed and maintained in China,” its company construction carries with it threat.