Former Republican presidential candidate and Trump administration ambassador Nikki Haley publicly challenged President-elect Donald Trump’s stance on TikTok Saturday, warning that reversing the app’s potential ban would benefit China’s interests.
“If the TikTok ban is reversed, with the Chinese Communist Party still in control of it, it will be the first of many wins for China,” Haley said. She questioned why the US would permit an app that China itself prohibits, noting that “India banned TikTok due to the social disruption it was causing.”
The Department of Justice urges the Supreme Court to reject Trump’s request to delay a law that could ban TikTok or force its sale by January 19, 2025. The legislation, passed in April 2024, requires Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell TikTok’s US assets or face removal from app stores.
Trump, who attempted to ban TikTok during his first term, has recently supported pausing the ban, citing his strong presence on the platform. He seeks to postpone the decision until after his January 20 inauguration to find a “political solution.”
The DOJ opposes this delay, emphasizing national security concerns about China’s potential use of the platform to gather sensitive data on Americans.
ByteDance has resisted selling TikTok, citing Chinese export regulations that restrict the sale of its core algorithmic technology. The company is challenging the law on First Amendment grounds, arguing it faces unfair targeting compared to other Chinese-owned apps.
The Supreme Court will hear arguments on January 10, with the ruling set to determine the app’s future in the US.
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