TikTok Announces 'Return to the US Thanks to Mr. Trump'
TikTok began restoring service in the US on January 19, following President-elect Donald Trump's promise not to let the short-video sharing platform go offline.
About 12 hours after it shut down in the US, TikTok unexpectedly reopened to many users as if the app had never disappeared, thanks to President-elect Donald Trump's move, according to CNN.
TikTok welcomed users back with a message that read: "Thank you for your patience and support. Thanks to the efforts of President Trump, TikTok is back in the US!"
At a rally in Washington just a day before his inauguration, Mr. Trump talked about his role in saving the short-video app. He said: "As of today, TikTok is back."
TikTok is owned by ByteDance (China). TikTok was shut down in the US on the evening of January 18, hours before a new federal law banning the app - citing national security - was set to take effect.
On January 19, President-elect Donald Trump pledged to issue an executive order to delay the ban on TikTok. He also called on the US to take ownership of the social network.
On the social network Truth Social, Mr. Trump said he would issue an executive order on January 20 (local time) to extend the deadline, hoping to reach an agreement to protect national security.
He also suggested that the country "take 50% ownership in a joint venture." He said that TikTok's value could "increase by hundreds, even thousands of billions of dollars" if this happened.
In a statement posted on X after Mr. Trump's comments, TikTok said it was "in the process of restoring service."
"We thank President Trump for providing much-needed clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will not face any penalties for providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans... We will work with President Trump to find a long-term solution that allows TikTok to continue operating in the United States," TikTok said.
