President Trump has requested the Supreme Court delay the implementation of a law effectively banning TikTok, asking for the decision to be postponed until after he assumes office.
John Sauer, Trump’s solicitor general designee, filed the petition on Friday, arguing the issue could be resolved “through political means” under the new administration.
“President Trump alone possesses the consummate dealmaking expertise, the electoral mandate, and the political will to negotiate a resolution to save the platform while addressing the national security concerns,” Sauer wrote in the filing.
The petition emphasized Trump’s opposition to banning TikTok “at this juncture”, citing his overarching responsibility for the United States’ national security and foreign policy. Sauer added that Trump intends to address the matter diplomatically once he is in office.
The law, signed earlier this year by Biden, requires TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to divest its U.S. operations or face a complete ban on the platform.
The ban is scheduled to go into effect on January 19, just one day before Trump is sworn into office, after an appeals court ruled it could proceed. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court agreed to hear TikTok’s challenge to the law and fast-tracked the case.
