The past weekend has been a whirlwind for TikTok. When the TikTok ban took place on Saturday, 170 million American users were met with a “sorry, TikTok isn’t available” message when attempting to access the app. However, by Sunday, this had all changed. The Chinese-owned company restored access to its services by midday.
But why was this ban short-lived? It’s all down to Trump’s re-election. At his pre-inauguration rally on Sunday, the President-elect had declared that “TikTok is back,” while also putting forward a plan to save the app despite previous concerns regarding national security.
Based on these new developments, I’ll be explaining how Trump proposes to save TikTok, and how your business should approach using the popular app during these uncertain times.
Trump’s Next Steps for TikTok
The Supreme Court, who upheld the TikTok ban following a law passed in April 2024, had initiated TikTok’s temporary shutdown on Saturday. However, due to Trump’s change in opinion during his first term in 2020, this ban has now been put on hold.
Trump’s shifting opinion of TikTok can be attributed to the 2024 election period. During this time, a 21-year-old named “TikTok Jack” used the app to help Trump gain support from young voters – a story the President-elect had shared during Sunday’s pre-inauguration rally.
On his own social media app, Truth Social, Trump shared why he has delayed the app’s ban: to give TikTok additional time to find an American buyer, or face a total shutdown.
If the Chinese-owned app is able to find a buyer, Trump has also proposed a joint venture. This would involve the US government or another American company taking 50% ownership of the app. Though it’s not yet clear if ByteDance (TikTok’s parent company) have been receptive to this proposal, it may be the best chance that TikTok has to survive in the US.
What Should Your Business Do in the Meantime?
If you’ve been using TikTok to grow your business on social media, you may feel hesitant to make the app a central part of your strategy. These recent events also highlight that not all social media platforms are forever (remember Vine?), so it’s wise not to rely on one platform for all of your business’ marketing efforts.
With this in mind, I recommend that you keep diversifying your content across different platforms. There’s still every chance that TikTok doesn’t find a suitable buyer during this delay, so it’s worth thinking about TikTok alternatives you could also use.
Top Tip: In the event of TikTok being permanently banned, I also recommend letting your TikTok followers know where to find you. This could be through a pinned video on your profile, or through links to other platforms in your bio. That way, your followers won’t be left in the dark!
Though, we do know that there are some potential buyers who are interested in purchasing the app, such as Elon Musk and YouTuber Mr Beast. With this in mind, we’ll be watching this space and sharing any new developments that come our way.
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