TikTok gets reprieve with Trump order but with twist

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday delaying by 75 days the enforcement of a ban of popular short-video app TikTok that was slated to be shuttered on Jan. 19

But Trump suggested that the U.S. should be a half owner of TikTok’s U.S. business in return for keeping the app alive.

The short video service used by 170 million Americans was briefly taken offline for U.S. users on Saturday, hours before a law that said it must be sold by its Chinese owner ByteDance on national security grounds took effect on Sunday. U.S. officials had said that under ByteDance, there was a risk of Americans’ data being misused.

TikTok restored access on Sunday and thanked Trump for providing assurances to TikTok and its business partners that they would not face hefty fines to keep the app running. The app and website were operational on Monday, but TikTok was still not available for download in the Apple and Google app stores.

Trump’s order, signed hours after he was inaugurated on Monday, directs the attorney general to not enforce the law “to permit my administration an opportunity to determine the appropriate course of action with respect to TikTok.”

The executive order capped 48 hours of legal maneuvering and political intrigue that left millions of TikTokkers saddened and then elated over the rapidly changing fate of their app.

The debate over TikTok also 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.

While signing the executive order Monday evening, Trump said that he “could see” the U.S. government taking a 50% stake in TikTok and as part of that stake, the U.S. could police the site.

Trump added that if a deal isn’t approved by China, “there’s no value. So if we create that value, why aren’t we entitled to like half?” He said the company could be worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

Trump did not formally invoke the 90-day delay allowed under the statute, which can only be issued if ByteDance had binding agreements to divest the app within 90 days. He suggested a joint venture as a possibility instead.

It would be unprecedented for the U.S. government to demand an equity stake in a major company in exchange for approving its continued use.

Trump’s comments did not address whether ByteDance or other Chinese entities would be allowed to hold a stake in TikTok or if the deal would address U.S. national security concerns about U.S. user data.

The order directs the Justice Department to issue letters to companies like Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab, Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O), opens new tab Google and Oracle (ORCL.N), opens new tab that supply services to TikTok “stating that there has been no violation of the statute and that there is no liability for any conduct that occurred during the above-specified period.”

It is still unclear if Trump’s order will be enough for the companies to restore the app to stores in the United States.

“Frankly, we have no choice. We have to save it,” Trump said at a rally on Sunday ahead of his inauguration.

That announcement came as China indicated for the first time it would be open to a transaction keeping TikTok operating in the U.S.

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.