Islamabad: United States (US) President-elect Donald Trump has urged the country’s Supreme Court to delay a looming ban on TikTok while he works on a “political resolution”.
TikTok is set to be banned in the US following the passage of legislation approved by the Senate.
A federal appeals court earlier this month rejected an attempt to overturn the Congress legislation banning the popular social media giant.
However, Trump has filed a legal brief with the court stating that he opposed banning TikTok and sought to resolve the issues through political means once he takes office.
D John Sauer, Trump’s lawyer who is also the president-elect’s pick for US solicitor general pleaded in the court that “Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute,” NBC News reported.
“Instead, he respectfully requests that the Court consider staying the Act’s deadline for divestment of January 19, 2025, while it considers the merits of this case, thus permitting President Trump’s incoming administration the opportunity to pursue a political resolution of the questions at issue in the case.”
Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute.” — Trump lawyer D John Sauer
CNN reported that Trump technically took no position on the underlying First Amendment questions posed by the case.
Rather, his counsel urged the court to delay the January 19 effective date so that his administration could look for a way to resolve the issue without a ban.
The incoming president has sent mixed signals in the past about his views on TikTok but most recently vowed to “save” the platform.
Trump met with TikTok’s CEO Shou Chew earlier this month, BBC previously reported.
Biden backs ban
Earlier Friday, President Joe Biden’s administration and a bipartisan group of ex-government officials — including some who once worked for Trump — urged the US Supreme Court to uphold the ban on TikTok, claiming that the platform’s ties to China pose a “grave” threat to American security.
“TikTok collects vast swaths of data about tens of millions of Americans,” the administration told the US apex court.
The written arguments submitted to the Supreme Court underscore a tension between national security and free speech at a time when 170 million Americans use TikTok for news and entertainment.
