TikTok restores service in US after Trump intervention

TikTok began restoring its services on Sunday after President-elect Donald Trump said he would revive the app's access in the U.S. when he returns to power on Monday.

“Frankly, we have no choice. We have to save it,” Trump said at a rally on Sunday ahead of his inauguration, adding that the U.S. will seek a joint venture to restore the short-video sharing app used by 170 million Americans.

In a message to users hours before the rally, TikTok said: “As a result of President Trump's efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.”

TikTok issued an earlier statement after U.S. users reported being able to access the Chinese-owned service's website while the far more widely used TikTok app itself began coming back online for some users with just a few basic services. Late on Sunday, the app was unavailable for download on U.S. app stores.

“In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service,” TikTok said in the earlier statement that also thanked Trump for “providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties (for) providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive.”

TikTok's public thanks to Trump, the day before he takes office, comes at a tense moment in U.S.-China relations. Trump has said he intends to place tariffs on China but has also indicated he hopes to have more direct contact with China's leader.

When asked about the app's restoration and Trump's desire for a deal, China's foreign ministry told a regular news briefing on Monday that it believed companies should "decide independently" about their operations and deals.

“TikTok has operated in the U.S. for many years and is deeply loved by American users,” ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said. “We hope that the U.S. can earnestly listen to the voice of reason and provide an open, fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for firms operating there.”

TikTok stopped working for U.S. users late on Saturday before a law shutting it down on national security grounds took effect on Sunday. U.S. officials had said that under Chinese parent company ByteDance, there was a risk of Americans' data being misused.

Trump said he would “extend the period of time before the law's prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.”

“I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Trump said the executive order would specify there would be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before his order.

Trump had earlier said he would most likely give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the ban after he takes office, a promise TikTok cited in a notice posted to users on the app.

“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned,” a message notified users of TikTok, which disappeared from Apple and Google app stores late on Saturday.

Trump saving TikTok represents a reversal in stance from his first term in office. In 2020, he aimed to ban the app over concerns the company was sharing Americans' personal info with the Chinese government. More recently, Trump has said he has “a warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” crediting the app with helping him win over young voters in the 2024 presidential election.