Jakarta – President-elect Donald Trump made a surprising statement during the pre-inauguration rally at Capitol One Arena, Washington, USA, on Saturday night (January 18, 2025). He expressed his support for the TikTok app.
Trump emphatically declared, “And starting today, TikTok is back,” signifying that the app will resume operations in the United States after facing threats of a ban.
He acknowledged that TikTok played a significant role in garnering the votes of young voters, which were key to his victory. Trump revealed that he recruited TikTok Jack, a 21-year-old, to help him campaign on ByteDance’s social media platform.
“Can you believe what I did to win the election? We used TikTok, and Republicans never win the youth vote. They win a lot of votes, but they never win the youth vote. We won the youth vote by 36 points,” Trump stated.
“So, I like TikTok. I like it. I like it,” he emphasized.
For this reason, Trump intends to save TikTok from being banned. He cited the platform’s popularity and its importance for many businesses.
“Frankly, we have no choice. We have to save it. Many jobs depend on it. We don’t want to hand over our business to China. We don’t want to give our business to anyone else,” he said.
The strategy to keep TikTok from being banned in the US involves forming a joint venture. The US would hold a 50% stake in TikTok’s operations in the country.
“So I said, very simply, a joint venture. If TikTok is worth nothing, zero, without approval—you know. If you don’t approve, they go out of business; they’re worth nothing. If you approve, they’re worth like a trillion dollars,” Trump explained.
“So, I said, I’ll approve it, but let the United States own 50% of TikTok. I approved it on behalf of the United States. So, they will have a partner, the United States, and they will have many bidders. And the United States will conduct what we call a joint venture. And there’s no risk. We’re not spending any money. All we’re doing is giving them approval, which without, they’d have nothing. So, I don’t know; it sounds like it worked.”
“What do you think? Good? I think so. So, whether you like TikTok or not, we’re going to make a lot of money,” Trump concluded.
Previously, it was reported that TikTok was no longer accessible to users in the United States after legislation banning the China-based platform took effect on Sunday (January 19, 2025).
Moreover, the TikTok app was removed from Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store. Users in the US were also unable to watch content on TikTok.
President-elect Donald Trump has hinted at a possible 90-day suspension of the TikTok ban after taking office on Monday (January 20, 2025).
“This 90-day suspension is highly likely because it is well worth granting. You know, it’s worth granting. We will consider it carefully. It’s a very delicate situation,” Trump stated, as quoted by detikINET from Reuters on Sunday (January 19, 2025).
Donald Trump Admits He Likes TikTok, Says It Helped Him Win the US Presidential Election
