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In yet another twist in the ongoing battle over TikTok, the app has returned to U.S. app stores after President Donald Trump postponed enforcement of a ban that could have seen the platform vanish for good. The decision grants TikTok a temporary 75-day extension until April 5, leaving its fate still hanging in the balance.
The wildly popular app, which boasts over 170 million American users, briefly disappeared from Apple and Google stores last month as the ban deadline loomed. However, a last-minute executive order from Trump has allowed TikTok to remain accessible—for now.
The controversy surrounding TikTok isn't new. The app's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, has long faced scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers over concerns that it could be used as a tool for surveillance and political influence by the Chinese government. Both Beijing and TikTok have repeatedly denied these allegations, with China outright rejecting calls for the company to sell its U.S. operations.
The legal battle reached the Supreme Court, which ultimately upheld the bipartisan law demanding that ByteDance sell TikTok to a neutral third party to avoid an outright ban. But despite signing the ban into law, Trump appears to have had a change of heart regarding the platform, which he once sought to remove during his first term in office.
During his presidential campaign last year, Trump expressed a newfound appreciation for TikTok, boasting about the billions of views his videos received on the platform. In a surprising move, TikTok's CEO, Shou Chew, even met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago after his re-election and attended his inauguration.
Now, Trump has suggested an alternative solution to the TikTok dilemma—one that involves partial ownership by the U.S. government.
"What I'm thinking of saying to someone is buy it and give half to the U.S.," he proposed in a recent press conference. "Half, and we'll give you a permit."
This unexpected compromise has sparked speculation over potential buyers. Billionaires like Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and Tesla CEO Elon Musk have reportedly shown interest, while YouTube sensation MrBeast even hinted that he might be in the running after investors contacted him following a social media post.
With TikTok back in app stores, users can breathe a sigh of relief—for now. But as the April deadline approaches, all eyes are on whether ByteDance will agree to a sale or if another political showdown is on the horizon.
