US President-elect Donald Trump has urged the Supreme Court to delay an impending TikTok ban, citing the need for time to address the issue through political means.
In a legal brief filed Friday, Trump’s lawyer stated that he opposes banning TikTok and seeks a resolution to the dispute over the Chinese-owned app, which faces a 19 January deadline to divest its U.S. operations or face prohibition.
The ban, set to take effect a day before Trump’s inauguration as President-elect, stems from concerns over national security and alleged ties between TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, and the Chinese government—claims ByteDance has consistently denied.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on 10 January regarding the divestment mandate, a provision included in legislation signed into law by President Joe Biden in April.
TikTok and ByteDance have challenged the law, arguing it infringes on free speech rights, but have largely failed to gain judicial support.
Trump’s filing calls the case “an unprecedented, novel, and difficult tension” between free speech and national security concerns. While the filing does not take a position on the merits of the case, it urges the court to postpone the ban to allow a political solution.
The U.S. Justice Department and several state attorneys general have argued in favor of the divestment law, citing potential risks to national security. Earlier this month, a federal appeals court upheld the legislation as a bipartisan effort to address security concerns.
Despite backing a TikTok ban during his first term, Trump has publicly reversed his stance, stating he has a “warm spot” for the platform. He met with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew at his Mar-a-Lago estate last week.
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Trump has publicly said he opposes the ban, despite supporting one in his first term as president.
“I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok, because I won youth by 34 points,” he claimed at a press conference earlier in December, although a majority of young voters backed his opponent, Kamala Harris.
“There are those that say that TikTok has something to do with that,” he added.
The case marks the final legal avenue for TikTok and ByteDance to block the ban, as no buyer for the app has emerged. The Supreme Court has previously declined to issue an emergency injunction against the legislation.
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