President-elect Donald Trump is set to meet with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew on Monday at Mar-a-Lago, his resort in Florida, as the popular social media app faces a looming U.S. ban. The meeting follows an ongoing legal battle between TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance and the U.S. government over data security concerns and national security risks.
On Monday, TikTok and ByteDance filed an emergency request with the Supreme Court to block the impending ban while they appeal a lower court ruling. The lower court upheld legislation that mandates ByteDance either divest TikTok by January 19 or face an outright ban of the platform in the United States. The app, which has roughly 170 million American users, has been under intense scrutiny due to concerns that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could exploit the platform to access sensitive U.S. data.
Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals rejected TikTok’s bid for an emergency injunction. The decision reinforced bipartisan concerns in Washington about the potential for Chinese surveillance through the app. Lawmakers and security experts worry that TikTok’s data policies could enable Beijing to gather intelligence on American citizens, posing a risk to national security.
TikTok argues that the ban would have devastating economic consequences, claiming that small businesses and content creators would lose an estimated $1.3 billion in just one month. The company insists that user data is stored securely in the U.S. and that it operates independently from the Chinese government.
Trump’s meeting with Chew signals a potential shift in how his administration might handle TikTok’s future. During his presidency, Trump took a hardline stance against the platform, signing executive orders to ban it unless ByteDance divested its U.S. operations. While those efforts were halted by court challenges, concerns about TikTok’s ties to China have persisted through both the Trump and Biden administrations.
Republican lawmakers and security officials continue to advocate for strict measures against TikTok, arguing that protecting Americans’ personal data should take precedence over business interests. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), a leading voice on national security, supports the ban and has warned that TikTok is “a Trojan horse for the CCP.” He and others argue that allowing a Chinese-owned platform to operate freely in the U.S. undermines national security and privacy.
As the January 19 deadline approaches, the outcome of the Supreme Court request and Trump’s meeting with Chew could determine whether TikTok’s American operations survive. The case underscores ongoing tensions between the U.S. and China, particularly regarding technology, data privacy, and cybersecurity.
