TikTok users were taken aback on Saturday night when the well-known video app abruptly closed before its deadline on Sunday. However, it was operational again later in the morning when President-elect Trump pledged to postpone the implementation of the ban for a minimum of ninety days.
While the social media community may have been thrilled, some legal experts are questioning whether this marks the start of a constitutional crisis.
For TikTok enthusiasts, waking up to a blank screen and a notification that the well-known app had been taken down would have been the worst nightmare. However, Yetunde Gywa received the respite she had been seeking for a little later in the morning.
As she glanced at her phone, she exclaimed, “Oh,” “there’s a disclaimer that reads, ‘Welcome back. I appreciate your support and patience. President Trump’s efforts have brought TikTok back to the United States.
Yetunde is a social media influencer in the Bay Area who earns a side income by giving her TikTok followers brief but mostly pleasant tours of nearby eateries and establishments.
She was at Berkeley’s Eggy’s Neighborhood Kitchen on Sunday, a breakfast destination with a big line to enter.
Gywa stated that, like many young people, she was disappointed by Saturday night’s TikTok shutdown because she enjoys showing people new areas. However, she had a suspicion that the app was more about political theater when it resurfaced on Sunday.
I’m not sure why, but it seems like a really ‘heroic’ effort on Trump’s part to just say, ‘Hey, the app is closed, now I returned it again.’ Because his name appears on it, ‘President Trump has reinstated TikTok again.’ “So, it just seems really performative,” Gywa remarked.
However, the Supreme Court upheld a ban on the Chinese-owned corporation, and Congress passed one due to legitimate national security concerns about TikTok’s data spying.
During his first term, President Trump advocated the ban. However, he has now declared that he plans to issue an executive order on Monday that will stop the TikTok ban from being enforced for at least ninety days while he makes a decision.
The issue is that he is not legally permitted to do so.
“There’s not a provision for that,” lawyer John Rizvi stated, “and that’s going to kind of open this up for a constitutional challenge, whether this is actually a violation of the separation of powers between what the president can do and what Congress can do.” Additionally, this might be interpreted as the president overstepping his authority.
John Rizvi is a Florida-based specialist in intellectual property. Limiting the stay to ninety days, he argued, may legalize the matter, possibly as a test to see how far the president-elect might go in defying the courts and Congress.
“Is this the first of many executive orders that we are going to see and that fear, that many have expressed, of our presidency edging closer and closer to a dictatorship, right?” replied Rizvi. “That’s basically what those who voice their concerns about this executive order that President Trump claims he will sign on Monday are worried about. The question is, “Do we really know what the next executive order is going to be?” This one might be fine.
Whether or not a social media app with dancing videos can function may seem like a minor concern. The question of whether the man who is set to become president is aware that the office’s authority should have boundaries, however, hangs over it.
Eliot Pierce is a dedicated writer for ChiefsFocus.com, covering local crime and finance news. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, Eliot aims to provide his readers with clear and insightful analysis, helping them navigate the complexities of their financial lives while staying informed about important local events. His commitment to delivering accurate and engaging content makes him a valuable resource for the community.