TikTok CEO thanks Trump for push to keep app available in US as ban looms

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said on Friday he wants to thank US President-elect Donald Trump for his commitment to work with the company and find a solution that keeps the app available in the United States.

The company has until Sunday, Jan 19, to cut ties with its China-based parent ByteDance or shut down its US operation to resolve concerns it posed a threat to national security.

Supreme Court justices upheld a ban on Friday in a unanimous decision and a White House statement suggested Biden would not take any action to save TikTok before the deadline.

Trump said on Friday the decision on the future of the TikTok app will be up to him, but did not provide any detail about what steps he would take. Media reports have said that he was considering an executive order that would suspend the enforcement of the TikTok sale-or-ban law for 60 to 90 days.

Trump also said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed issues including TikTok in a phone call on Friday.

Chew plans to attend the US presidential inauguration on Jan. 20 and sit among high-profile guests invited by Trump, a source told Reuters.