Trump asks Supreme Court docket to let him rescue TikTok from US ban

President-elect Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court docket to let him negotiate a deal to save lots of TikTok from an imminent US ban.

In an amicus transient filed to the court docket, Trump says he “seeks the power to resolve the problems at hand by political means as soon as he takes workplace,” and that he “alone possesses the consummate dealmaking experience, the electoral mandate, and the political will to barter a decision to save lots of the platform.”

Final week, the Supreme Court docket agreed to listen to arguments {that a} invoice handed by Congress banning TikTok on nationwide safety grounds violates the First Modification. The invoice offers extensive latitude to the president to delay its enforcement if there’s progress being made in direction of a deal that ensures TikTok isn’t absolutely managed by its Chinese language guardian firm, ByteDance.

However the deadline for that willpower is January nineteenth, which is sooner or later earlier than Trump is ready to be sworn in.

In his Supreme Court docket submitting, Trump asks for the invoice’s January nineteenth deadline to be stayed, arguing that the deal he’d negotiate “would obviate the necessity for this Court docket to resolve the traditionally difficult First Modification query offered right here on the present, extremely expedited foundation.”

He provides no particulars on what stated deal would appear like, although it will possible need to contain ByteDance promoting a signification portion of its possession in TikTok to an American firm.

Trump argues that having over 14 million followers on TikTok, alongside together with his possession of Reality Social, offers him distinctive means to “consider TikTok’s significance as a novel medium for freedom of expression, together with core political speech.” He additionally cites Brazil’s momentary ban of Elon Musk’s X for instance of “the historic risks offered” by a authorities banning a social media platform.

There’s nonetheless loads of political strain to implement a TikTok ban, nevertheless. A gaggle of senators and congressmen, together with Mitch McConnell and Ro Khanna, filed petitions on Friday, joined by 22 U.S. states and former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, urging the Supreme Court docket to reject TikTok’s enchantment.