TikTok had a dramatic weekend, but it’s back, folks! After hitting the pause button Saturday night, the app announced it’s restoring service to U.S. users because — wait for it — Donald Trump gave the green light. Yep, you heard that right. Apparently, TikTok's fate is now a plot twist in the never-ending Trump reality show.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter, but let’s be real, it’ll always be Twitter), TikTok said: “We’re flipping the switch back on. Big thanks to President Trump for making sure our service providers don’t get smacked with penalties. Cheers to keeping 170 million Americans endlessly scrolling and helping 7 million small businesses thrive.”
Oh, and they added something about the First Amendment and censorship. Casual.
Here’s the kicker: Trump had just taken to Truth Social hours before the app went dark, demanding TikTok stay live. Why? Because, drumroll, he wants to use TikTok to stream his inauguration on Monday. You can’t make this stuff up.
“I’ll sign an executive order on Monday to give TikTok some breathing room,” Trump wrote. “Also, no one’s getting in trouble for keeping TikTok alive until we figure this out. You’re welcome.”
As of Sunday afternoon, TikTok was still doing its "limited access" thing — the app wasn’t in app stores, but you could creep through a web browser if you were desperate enough. The law banning TikTok technically kicked in Sunday, but Trump’s 90-day extension card might buy the app some time. ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, still has to sell the app to someone non-Chinese, though, and they’re not exactly eager to do that.
Meanwhile, Trump has floated the idea of a 50-50 joint venture where the U.S. owns half of TikTok. Sounds simple, right? Nope. The law caps “foreign adversary” ownership at 20%, so unless Congress rewrites the rulebook, that plan’s dead on arrival.
In short, TikTok’s future is shakier than your high school internet connection. Stay tuned for more drama, because this saga’s far from over. And while you’re at it, follow us on TikTok @ThatOregonLife for updates, fun content, and all things Oregon!
