TikTok Photo: VCG

President-elect Donald Trump indicated on Sunday that he favored allowing TikTok to continue operating in the US for at least a little while, claiming that he had received billions of views on the social media platform during his presidential campaign, according to Reuters report. 

Trump's comments before a crowd of conservative supporters in Phoenix, Arizona, were one of the strongest signals yet that he opposes a potential exit of TikTok from the US market, Reuters said.

"I think we're going to have to start thinking because, you know, we did go on TikTok, and we had a great response with billions of views, billions and billions of views," Trump told the crowd at AmericaFest, an annual gathering organized by conservative group Turning Point, according to the Reuters report.

Trump met with TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi at the Mar-a-Lago resort on December 16, amid US authorities’ ongoing efforts to block the popular social media platform, according to reports of multiple US media outlets including CNN. 

Earlier in the day, Trump said during a news conference that he is “taking a look at it” when asked if he plans to stop the ban on TikTok, and said that he has “a warm spot” in his heart for TikTok, pointing to his electoral performance among young voters earlier.

Trump’s favorable stance on TikTok may stem from his campaign, during which he gained a deeper understanding of its operational model and its influence, Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Monday.

As he prepares to take office, Trump hopes to build greater voter support and share his ideas more effectively. Using short-video platform could strengthen his connection with supporters, Zhou added.

However, Zhou believed that Trump is just releasing a signal and did not express clear support. It’s important to note that while Trump is currently making verbal statements, his actual action remains to be seen. Variables could shift depending on the evolving situation.

The US Supreme Court on December 18 agreed to review a request from TikTok and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to block a law that would require the sale of the popular video-sharing app by January 19, or face a ban on national security grounds, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The nation's top court are set to hear arguments on January 10 regarding whether the law unconstitutionally limits freedom of speech, in breach of the First Amendment.

In April, US President Joe Biden enacted the law that gives ByteDance only 270 days to sell TikTok, citing unfounded national security concerns. If the company fails to comply, the law will require app store operators such as Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their platforms, according to Xinhua.

On December 16, TikTok asked the US Supreme Court to block the law, arguing that it will shutter one of America's most popular speech platforms, according to Xinhua. 

Global Times