What’s Next for TikTok Now That Trump is in Office

The future of TikTok in the United States has been uncertain for months now, and the fate of the popular app is still up in the air as a new administration takes office with President Trump signing an executive order that delays action on the ban for 75 days. More than 170 million American users are riding an emotional rollercoaster, especially content creators who have parlayed TikTok into a lucrative revenue stream.

Charli D’Amelio, considered by many as the TikTok queen for turning the Chinese platform into an income juggernaut, is following the developments closely.

“Social media comes and goes,” the 19-year-old said. “There’s new apps, there’s new people, there’s exciting new trends.”

But D’Amelio, who rose to fame with her dance videos which generate a staggering $247,000 per video, offers a stance that is far more accepting of the uncertainty than many other content creators.

TikTok timeline

Congress passed bipartisan legislation last spring, requiring TikTok to sell the app to a U.S. owner by January 19, 2025, or face a ban. Days before January 19, the Supreme Court upheld the ban. But then President-elect indicated he would grant ByteDance, TikTok’s owner, a reprieve. 

As the new president, Trump celebrated his return to Washington, D.C. on Monday with a slate of parties and rallies, and he invited the CEO of TikTok to attend the inauguration. The 47th president also vowed to “save” the app.

The idea of Trump granting a reprieve is an about-face from July 2020 when he was president the first time and considered banning TikTok as retaliation for China’s alleged mishandling of the COVID-10 pandemic. In 2019 the Pentagon had recommended that all U.S. military personnel delete TikTok from all phones. FBI Director Christopher Wray raised national security concerns about the Chinese app.

Only hours into his second term, Trump’s action adds another chapter to the ongoing saga, granting users an opportunity to continue to use TikTok but without a clear outcome.