In his last week in office, the Biden administration is backing away from the controversial TikTok ban. Instead, President Joe Biden he has chosen to focus his efforts on other issues, pardoning nearly 2,500 non-violent drug offenders. This means that the future of the application will be in the hands of the president-elect Donald Trumpon Monday (January 20) 47. who will be president

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President Joe Biden won't ban TikTok

Despite the company's efforts to stop the ban, the deadline for TikTok to sell its app has been set for the day before Trump's inauguration. Last year, Biden signed a law backed by Congress that required TikTok's China-based parent company, ByteDance, to dissolve the company by January 19. It seems that the company will not take that route. So that means the ban will begin on Biden's last day in the White House.

However, a US official confirmed on Thursday that Biden will not impose the ban. According to the AP, the official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss thoughts within the Biden administration.

What Trump's team has said about the ban

Trump, who once called for the app to be banned, has since pledged to keep it available in the US. However, his transition team has not said how they plan to do this.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will attend Trump's inauguration and is expected to have a prime seat. Meanwhile, the president-elect's national security adviser has suggested that the Trump administration may take steps to "keep TikTok from going dark."

On Wednesday, Pam Bondi, Trump's pick for attorney general, dodged a question about whether she would uphold the TikTok ban in the Senate.

Soon-to-be national security adviser Mike Waltz also spoke about the potential ban on Wednesday.

"If the Supreme Court rules in favor of the law, President Trump has been very clear: First, TikTok is a great platform that many Americans use and it's been great for his campaign and to spread his message. But number two, it will protect their data," Waltz said. . "He is the one who makes the deals. I don't want to pre-empt our executive orders, but we will create this space to implement that agreement."

waltz he also mentioned the ban while speaking on Fox News Channel's 'Fox & Friends' on Thursday. Walz also pointed out that federal laws prohibiting TikTok "allows for an extension while a viable deal is on the table."

Donald Trump has changed his position on the popular app after trying to ban it during his first term. He joined TikTok in his 2024 presidential campaign. His team used it to connect with younger voters, especially male voters, often by pushing content aimed at macho and going viral. During the campaign he pledged to "save TikTok" and credited the platform with helping him win more youth votes.

Where are US leaders on the TikTok ban?

The push to save TikTok, like the move to ban it in the US, has transcended partisan lines. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he spoke with Joe Biden on Thursday to advocate for extending the TikTok ban.

"It's clear that it's going to take more time to find an American buyer and disrupt the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans, so many influencers who have built such a good network of followers," Schumer said on the Senate floor Thursday.

Democrats tried Wednesday to pass legislation that would have extended the deadline, but Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, blocked it. Cotton, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said TikTok had enough time to find a buyer.

"TikTok is a Chinese communist spy app that is addicting our children, collecting their data, targeting them with harmful and manipulative content, and spreading communist propaganda," Cotton said.

Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a legal challenge to the statute brought by TikTok, China-based parent company ByteDance, and the app's users. It looked like the judges would uphold the law, which requires ByteDance to sell TikTok on national security grounds or face a ban in one of its biggest markets.

While social networks have had they have been famous buyers, for example Mr. Beast YouTuberByteDance has not confirmed any sale procedures.

Ironically, I've had so many millionaires reach out to me since I tweeted this, let's see if we can pull it off 🙌🏻

— MrBeast (@MrBeast) January 14, 2025

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Associated Press writers Zeke Miller, Josh Boak, Michelle L. Price and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.