Why is TikTok getting banned and can Donald Trump stop it? What we know

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to try to stop the potential ban on TikTok when he takes office next year, sources told The Washington Post.

Under a law passed in April, the social media platform must find a new owner not based in China or lose its American users by January 19. Lawmakers cite national security concerns and argue that ByteDance’s links to China could compromise user data and allow the Chinese government undue influence. However, Trump appreciates the breadth and reach of TikTok, according to former adviser Kellyanne Conway.

“He appreciates the breadth and reach of TikTok, which he used masterfully with podcasts and new media entrants to win,” Conway said. “There are many ways to hold China accountable outside and alienate 180 million US users every month.”

Trump threatened to slap 60 percent tariffs on all Chinese exports, a blow to China’s economy. Tariffs are a core component of Trump’s “America First” economic policy, which aims to protect American industries and promote growth.

The president-elect and China have already gone toe-to-toe in a tense trade war that began during Trump’s first term. He imposed sweeping tariffs on Chinese imports, a move that was quickly met with retaliatory tariffs from Beijing.

Now Trump can go to war with China over TikTok. While the president-elect hasn’t announced anything yet, he did say he would help during a video on the app in June.

“I want to save TikTok,” Trump said.

TikTok and parent company ByteDance are facing more regulatory challenges as US President Joe Biden signed the federal legislation that could ban TikTok the day before Trump’s inauguration.

The Republican Rep. John Moolenaar of Michigan, the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party Select Committee that is spearheading the TikTok legislation, told Newsweek that Trump’s administration will be able to broker the takeover and allow for safer use of the app without banning it.

“President Trump’s long-standing concerns about the Chinese Communist Party’s control of TikTok align well with the law’s divestment requirements,” Moolenaar said. Newsweek. “The Trump administration will have a unique opportunity to broker a U.S. takeover of the platform, allowing TikTok users to continue to enjoy a safer, better version of the app without foreign opposition controls.”

The US Department of Justice sued TikTok in August for allegedly failing to protect children’s privacy. In its lawsuit, the DOJ said ByteDance was in violation of a federal law that requires apps aimed at youth to obtain parental consent before collecting personal information about children under 13.

The DOJ complaint “also says the companies failed to honor requests from parents who wanted their children’s accounts deleted, and chose not to delete accounts even when the companies knew they belonged to children under 13,” the Associated Press reported.

A TikTok spokesperson previously responded to the DOJ case in a statement Newsweek saying the claims “relate to past events and practices that are factually inaccurate or have been addressed.”

In September, TikTok went to federal court to challenge the ban, with ByteDance’s attorney Andrew Pincus making arguments around free speech and First Amendment rights.

In October, 13 states and the District of Columbia filed lawsuits against TikTok, accusing the video app of making its platform dependent on young people and harming young people’s mental health. The lawsuits follow an investigation into TikTok by a group of state attorneys general.