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ARTICLE AD BOX
President-elect Donald Trump apparently wants MAGA fans to watch Monday's inauguration on TikTok so much that he promised "no liability" to any company who gets the social media platform back up and running before he takes office.
TikTok, owned by Chinese company Bytedance, officially went dark on Sunday after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld lawmakers' ban on the platform in the name of national security.
Trump took to his own social media platform, TruthSocial, to float his idea Sunday.
"I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark! I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security. The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order," Trump wrote.
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He continued, "Americans deserve to see our exciting Inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations."
Trump then proposed a business deal: "I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture. By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to say up. Without U.S. approval, there is no Tik Tok. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars - maybe trillions.
"Therefore, my initial thought is a joint venture between the current owners and/or new owners whereby the U.S. gets a 50% ownership in a joint venture set up between the U.S. and whichever purchase we so choose."
Earlier, Trump posted, "SAVE TIKTOK!"which angered some in his MAGA base.
So far, legal experts haven't weighed in on Trump's proposal or whether it would pose any liability to TikTok or Bytedance, itself. Once Trump becomes president, however, he will have the power to pardon federal offenses once a formal application is received by the Office of the Pardon Attorney.
English (US)