Trump to Supreme Court, suspend TikTok ban law

Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to suspend the law that threatens a ban on TikTok in the US from 19 January unless ByteDance, the Chinese company he heads, sells it. This was reported by Bloomberg news agency, according to which the president-elect believes the Supreme Court should give him time to 'pursue a political solution' to the dispute over the popular platform.

TikTok and the Biden administration presented arguments to the US Supreme Court in their clash over this law that would ban the popular social media app next month unless it is sold by its Chinese parent company.

In its filing, the Justice Department argued that China's continued control over TikTok threatens national security by allowing a foreign adversary to spread propaganda and collect data on Americans. TikTok and its parent company ByteDance Ltd. countered that a ban would be unconstitutional because it would stifle the free speech of 170 million American users.

Unless blocked by the Supreme Court, the law will go into effect on 19 January, the day before President-elect Trump's inauguration. The Supreme Court is considering the constitutionality of the law unusually quickly, with arguments scheduled for a special session on 10 January.

Trump's stance confirms a softening of the tycoon's attitude towards China in the run-up to his inauguration.