President-elect Donald Trump seems to have a shift in perspective regarding TikTok — at least for the moment.
During his speech at AmericaFest, a gathering organized by Turning Point USA and Turning Point Action on Sunday, Trump conveyed his newfound admiration for the widely-used social media platform. “I did go on TikTok, and we had a fantastic response with billions of views,” he remarked. Trump currently enjoys an impressive **14.7 million followers** on the app. While his videos routinely attract millions of views, none have actually hit the “billions” he mentioned. The most-viewed video on his profile is his **initial post**, which has close to 179 million views.
“They brought me a chart, and it was a record, and it was so wonderful to see,” Trump stated, according to **Reuters**. “As I examined it, I thought, ‘Maybe we should keep this thing around for a bit longer.'” His comments follow a meeting with TikTok’s CEO, where Trump acknowledged he had developed a “warm spot” for the application.
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This represents a notable change in Trump’s viewpoint on TikTok, particularly in contrast to his **2020 attempts to ban the platform**. At that time, Trump aimed to restrict TikTok over national security worries associated with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
The timing of Trump’s statements is significant, as a TikTok ban in the U.S. appears to be growing more imminent. In April, President Joe Biden enacted a law that would prevent TikTok from continuing operations in the U.S. starting **Jan. 19**, unless ByteDance sells its stake in the app. A federal appeals court recently **upheld Biden’s law**, and while the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review TikTok’s legal challenge, the deadline for the ban is rapidly approaching.
What actions Trump can take to avert the ban remains uncertain. He will not officially assume office until **Jan. 20**, one day after the ban is scheduled to go into effect, and as president-elect, he does not have the power to make legislative modifications. Despite his eagerness to “keep this thing around,” his options are limited — at least for the time being.