TikTok Thanks Trump As App Restores Service To U.S. Users After Brief Ban

Washington DC, United States– TikTok announced on Sunday that it has begun restoring service to U.S. users after the platform briefly went offline due to a ban that took effect late Saturday night.

The company expressed gratitude to President Donald Trump, crediting his intervention for the resolution.

“In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service,” the company said in a statement.

“We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive. This is a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship.”

The restoration followed heightened tensions over national security concerns, with the platform previously facing scrutiny for its ties to China.

TikTok assured users it will work with the Trump administration on a long-term solution to secure its presence in the U.S.

When users reopened the app on Sunday, they were greeted with a pop-up notification celebrating the return of service.

“Welcome back! Thanks for your patience and support,” the message read. “As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!”

The brief blackout, which began late Saturday and extended into early Sunday, left millions of users in suspense and raised questions about the future of the popular platform.

ABC News reports that last spring, Congress overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation giving TikTok 270 days to sever ties with its China-based parent company, ByteDance, or face a U.S. ban. Rather than selling the platform, TikTok challenged the measure on First Amendment grounds, a legal fight that ultimately failed when the Supreme Court ruled against it on Friday.

In a unanimous decision, the court cited national security concerns, emphasizing the risks of potential data collection or content manipulation by the Chinese government.

By Saturday evening, TikTok began to go offline for some users. A pop-up message in the app stated: “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, this means you can’t use TikTok for now.”

The message added that President-elect Donald Trump had expressed willingness to work on a solution once he assumes office, encouraging users to “stay tuned.”

By Sunday morning, TikTok was no longer available on app stores operated by Apple, Google, and Samsung.

The Biden administration clarified earlier in the week that it would not enforce the ban before leaving office, leaving its implementation to Trump, who is set to be inaugurated on Monday.

Trump has pledged to overturn the ban, announcing on Truth Social that he will issue an executive order on his first day in office to delay enforcement.

“I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark,” Trump wrote on Sunday morning. He added that the executive order would extend the timeframe for compliance and shield companies that helped keep TikTok operational from liability. Trump also proposed a solution involving U.S. ownership: “I want the United States to hold a 50% stake in a joint venture between current and new owners.”

Meanwhile, a Biden administration official pushed back against TikTok’s narrative, accusing the platform of shifting blame.

“They’ve had a year to resolve this,” the official said, adding that the decision to take the app offline was TikTok’s, not the outgoing administration’s.

White House officials stressed that they are only passing the issue to Trump due to the timing, asserting that the company had ample opportunity to comply with the law.