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Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court to pause a law that would ban TikTok.
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The president-elect submitted a brief urging SCOTUS to give him time to reach a political solution.
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Congress has passed a law requiring TikTok’s Chinese owners to divest or ban US app stores.
President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court to suspend the law that would ban TikTok in mid-January until after his inauguration.
Trump filed a brief Friday urging the Supreme Court to give him time to “pursue a political resolution” before agreeing to ban the social media app.
In April, Congress passed a bipartisan law that set a nine-month deadline for TikTok’s Chinese parent company to divest from the app or be banned from U.S. app stores.
Neither TikTok nor Trump’s lawyers immediately responded to Business Insider’s request for comment. BI has also contacted the Supreme Court.
In the filing Friday, Trump’s lawyers emphasized the “consummate expertise of the President-elect,” suggesting Trump has the “political will” to negotiate a resolution that would simultaneously “save the platform” and address national security concerns that were emphasized in Congress. account.
The nine-month deadline officially expires on January 19, one day before Trump takes office for the second time.
Trump previously supported a TikTok ban, but appeared to change his mind in recent months. He met with the app’s CEO earlier this month and said he had a “warm spot” in his heart for TikTok.
Legal experts previously told BI that Trump has a number of options to try to keep the app running in the US, including asking his Justice Department to ignore the divestment law or trying to rework strategic interpretations of the law.
Trump and his lawyers also argue that the president-elect has a mandate from American voters to protect their rights to free speech, including those who use TikTok.
“Additionally, President Trump is one of the most powerful, prolific, and influential users of social media in history,” the filing said.
“Consistent with his impressive presence in this field, President Trump currently has 14.7 million followers on TikTok with whom he actively communicates, allowing him to evaluate the importance of TikTok as a unique medium for freedom of expression, including the most important political expression ,” lawyers added.
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