TikTok came back to life in the United States on Sunday after President-elect Donald J. Trump said he would issue an executive order to block a federal ban on the app.
The abrupt change came just hours after major app stores removed the popular social media site and it stopped working for U.S. users as a federal law took effect Sunday. The company said in a post on X that “in consultation with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service.”
Trump said in a Sunday morning post on Truth Social that he “will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so we can make a deal to protect our national security.”
The ban stems from a 2024 law that requires app stores and cloud computing providers to stop distributing or hosting TikTok unless it is sold by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. Lawmakers passed the law out of concern that the Chinese government could use the app, which boasts about 170 million users in the United States, to gather information on Americans or spread propaganda.
App stores and cloud computing providers that fail to comply with the law risk potentially significant financial penalties. Trump said in his post on Sunday that his order would “confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped prevent TikTok from going dark before my order.”
The possibility of an executive order, followed by TikTok’s stunning about-face, mark a new phase in the fight for the future of the app, which has reshaped the social media landscape, defined popular culture, and created a source of livelihood for millions of influencers and small businesses that rely on the platform.
In issuing an order, Trump would raise questions about the rule of law in the United States. His action would constitute an attempt to temporarily neutralize a law that passed with broad bipartisan support in Congress and which the Supreme Court unanimously upheld last week.
“We thank President Trump for providing much-needed clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will not face any penalties while providing TikTok to more than 170 million Americans and enabling more than 7 million small businesses to thrive,” TikTok said in a statement announcing that the app was coming back online.
Creators celebrated as TikTok came back to life.
“ITS BACKKKKK,” posted James Charles, a beauty influencer, on Instagram, where he has been communicating with fans since the ban went into effect.
Political pundits and lawmakers from both parties issued early warnings that the law is still valid and enforceable. TikTok was not available for download on the Google and Apple app stores, suggesting that some companies continued to enforce the ban.
Legal experts have said the impact of Trump’s action will depend on the details of any orders he issues, which is likely to raise significant questions about the scope and limits of the president’s authority.
“There is no good path here from a rule of law perspective,” said Alan Rozenshtein, an associate professor of law at the University of Minnesota.
Google declined to comment. Apple did not respond to a request for comment, although it said in an explanation on its website that it is “required to follow the laws in the jurisdictions in which it operates” and that TikTok will no longer be available for downloads or updates in the marketplace. United States.
Oracle, which hosts TikTok on its servers, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It’s unclear whether Trump’s efforts — and negotiations to keep the app online that occurred before he even took office Monday — will be successful in the long term. His executive order could face a legal challenge, including over whether it has the power to stop enforcement of a federal law. Companies subject to the law may determine that the text of an order does not provide sufficient assurances that they will not be punished for violations.
The law allows the president to grant a 90-day extension if a buyer is found, but only if there is “significant progress” toward a deal that puts TikTok in the hands of a non-Chinese company. This agreement must also be able to be completed within 90 days for the president to activate the extension. And it’s unclear whether that extension option still exists, given that the law is already in effect.
In his post on Sunday, Trump floated the idea that he “would like the United States to have a 50% ownership stake in a joint venture,” without providing further details.
TikTok has said a sale is impossible, citing the nature of its global operations, and China has already signaled it may block the export of its all-important video recommendation technology.
Some policy experts have said there is too little information to draw a conclusion on next steps. “What Trump has proposed on social media seems illegal,” said Peter Harrell, a former Biden administration official. “We will have to see what he actually does to implement it.”
Late Saturday, TikTok posted a message to users saying the site was unavailable but that it was “fortunate that President Trump has indicated he will work with us on a fix.”
Then, after restoring service, TikTok welcomed users back with a message that read, “As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the United States!”
TikTok and several Democratic members of Congress have made a last-ditch effort in recent days to keep the app online. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, privately told President Biden that the blacked-out app under his watch would damage his legacy.
TikTok critics have begun pushing to keep the possible ban on track. Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican and chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called some major tech companies in recent days to say they needed to comply with the law, according to three people familiar with the calls. In a joint statement on Sunday, he also said that there is no room for any kind of extension, as the law has already come into force.
After TikTok announced it would restore service to the app, Mr. Cotton posted a notice.
Any “company that hosts, distributes, services, or otherwise facilitates communist-controlled TikTok could face hundreds of billions of dollars in ruinous liability under the law,” not only from the federal government but also from state attorneys general, lawsuits by shareholders and under securities law, he said in a post on
“Think about it,” he said.
Maggie Habermann, Karen Weise, Sapna Maheshwari, Madison Malone Kircher AND Aaron Krolik contributed to the reporting.