Donald Trump delays US TikTok ban again
It is the third time the president has extended the deadline. The first one was through an executive order on January 20, his first day in office, after the platform went dark briefly when a national ban — approved by Congress and upheld by the Supreme Court — took effect.
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The second was in April when White House officials believed they were nearing a deal to spin off TikTok into a new company with US ownership that fell apart after China backed out after Mr Trump's tariff announcement.
It is not clear how many times he can — or will — keep extending the ban as the government continues to try to negotiate a deal for TikTok, which is owned by China's ByteDance. While there is no clear legal basis for the extensions, so far there have been no legal challenges to fight them.
Mr Trump has gained more than 15 million followers on TikTok since he joined last year, and he has credited the trendsetting platform with helping him gain traction among young voters. He said in January that he has a 'warm spot for TikTok'.
As the extensions continue, it appears less likely that TikTok will be banned in the US any time soon. The decision to keep the site alive through an executive order has received some scrutiny, but it has not faced a legal challenge in court, unlike many of Mr Trump's other executive orders.
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Jeremy Goldman, analyst at Emarketer, called TikTok's US situation 'deadline purgatory'.
The whole thing 'is starting to feel less like a ticking clock and more like a looped ringtone. This political Groundhog Day is starting to resemble the debt ceiling drama: a recurring threat with no real resolution'.
Donald Trump (Alex Brandon/AP)
For now, TikTok continues to function for its 170 million users in the US, and tech giants Apple, Google and Oracle were persuaded to continue to support the app, on the promise that Mr Trump's Justice Department would not use the law to seek potentially steep fines against them.
Americans are even more closely divided on what to do about TikTok than they were two years ago.
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A recent Pew Research Centre survey found that about a third of Americans supported a ban, down from 50% in March 2023. Roughly a third said they would oppose a ban, and a similar percentage said they were not sure.
Among those who supported a ban, about eight in 10 cited concerns over users' data security being at risk as a major factor in their decision, according to the report.
Democratic senator Mark Warner, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the Trump administration is again 'flouting the law and ignoring its own national security findings about the risks' posed by a China-controlled TikTok.
'An executive order can't sidestep the law, but that's exactly what the president is trying to do,' he added.
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The Independent
6 minutes ago
- The Independent
Rough deal: Social media roasts Trump's golf game after clip appears to show alleged cheating in Scotland
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Daily Mirror
7 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
MIKEY SMITH: 7 unhinged Donald Trump Scotland moments as he moans nobody thanked him for Gaza aid
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Daily Mail
7 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Footage of Donald Trump 'cheating' on the golf course goes viral
With President Donald Trump over in Europe, the real-estate magnate decided to visit some of his golf courses and play a few rounds of the sport he loves the most. But a camera captured a moment where one of the caddies in Trump's party decided to help him out more than what is allowed. Video taken from inside a building showed the moment the US president rolled up in a golf cart left of the fairway at Turnberry - with a bunker in front of him and some light fescue to his left. As two caddies walked by, the camera captured one of them stopping, bending down slightly, and dropping a ball in front of the president. Trump got out of his golf cart with a club and approached the dropped ball in what appeared to be an attempt to hit it. The video stops before he takes a swing. The clip went viral on social media, with multiple commenters calling out the 79-year-old for 'cheating'. Trump then got out of his golf cart and approached the ball with club in hand 'Who needs a foot wedge when you have a personal ball dropper???' wrote one commenter on X, formerly Twitter. Another account posted, 'Him and Kim Jong Un would be INSANE scramble partners'. One account which appears to belong to a PGA professional commented, 'Such a perfect metaphor for our Commander-in-Cheat.' ' like I need these fellas as Caddies with the way I hit it anymore,' another post joked. If Trump did indeed hit that ball, it's not the first time that he's been accused of 'cheating' in the past. Earlier this year, film star Samuel L. Jackson accused him of cheating when the pair played a round together. Asked who the better golfer was, the Pulp Fiction actor said: 'Oh, I am, for sure. I don't cheat.' Taking to social media to reply to Jackson, Trump responded by saying he had never played with him on a course. Jackson's opinion is one echoed by fellow actor Anthony Anderson, as he accused Trump of cheating back in 2016. During an appearance on the Late Night With Seth Meyers that year, Anderson said: 'Trump is a great golfer. I'm not going to say Trump cheats. His caddy cheats for him.' Asked on whether he saw Trump cheat with his own eyes, Anderson replied: 'Oh yes, several times. Several times'. He added: 'I mis-hit a ball - it hooked a little left about 20 yards. Trump hit the exact same shot but went 20 yards further left than mine. 'I could not find my ball in this trash. Trump's ball had the fluffiest lie in the middle of the fairway. 'Like I say, I didn't see Trump cheat because he was on the tee-box with me, but his ball was right there in the middle of the fairway.' They follow claims made by sports journalist Rick Reilly, who claimed in 2019 that Trump made second attempts at a shot for no good reason and took credit for other players' shots. Writing for the Sunday Times, he said caddies had given Trump the nickname 'Pele' because he would kick the ball so often to move it to a better position. Describing his opponent's style of play, he said: 'To say Donald Trump cheats is like saying Michael Phelps swims. 'Trump doesn't just cheat at golf. He cheats like a three-card monte dealer. He throws it, boots it and moves it.
