On the night of Saturday, January 18, TikTok suspended its operations in the United States amidst speculations surrounding a new law proposed by President-elect Donald Trump, who is set to return to the presidency on January 20. The platform faces an uncertain future as it remains at the center of a broader dispute between Beijing and Washington.  

Despite a recent Supreme Court ruling that does not guarantee an end to the legal conflict, tensions between the two powers persist. A Biden administration official told The Associated Press that the implementation of a potential ban would be left to the incoming president.  

Trump, who will return to the White House a day after the ban is set to take effect, has publicly acknowledged the positive impact TikTok had on his election campaign, helping him gain the support of younger voters. According to one of his advisers, the new administration will seek alternatives to prevent the platform’s disappearance in the country. However, the specific measures and their legal viability remain unclear.  

In an interview with NBC on Saturday, Trump did not rule out the possibility of extending the deadline by 90 days before the ban takes effect, though he stated that no final decision had been made yet.  

“I think that would certainly be an option we’d consider. The 90-day extension is something that will probably happen because it’s the right thing to do. You know, it’s the right thing. We have to analyze it carefully. It’s a very important situation,” the president-elect said.  

Meanwhile, TikTok’s community of users and content creators in the United States remains in suspense, awaiting a resolution that will allow the popular app to continue operating in the country.